The Devil
by Uzumaki-sama011
Summary: Cancelled, Read at your own digression. This is one of my earliest attempts to write a fic... yeah, I didn't come out that well. Way too OOC and Mary Sue, too much of an info dump and too little actual dialogue. I just keep it here because I want to remember my mistakes, and because I've put a lot of work into it as a beginner. Purple prose!
1. Enter Uzumaki Naruto

**Disclaimer**: Antheunis011 does not own a chicken, but he does own a sizable amount of eggs in his fridge at the moment.

**Author's Notes: **

**-1)**In the first chapter, you will see scenes and ideas adopted from the fics ''**End Game Version R**''and ''**The Golden Devil**''.

**-2)**This was started as a Naruto x Rias, but as I came up with new material in my head, it might not happen like that, but if it does, it will be unique.

**-TAGS**: Social Character Development, Action, Humour, Romance, Supernatural, Angst, Adventure, Mature, Nude, Artificial Universe, Original Characters, Inserted Characters, Out of Character, Lemons and Limes

**-Play:**Dead By April – Dreaming

Revised on 3.5.2014. (Happy Birthday to me!)

* * *

**PROLOGUE BEGINS**

* * *

Waking up early in the morning is a natural process that many people go through with a grain of salt. Most of them don't do this because they want to do it, but because it is their duty to do so.

At certain ages and in certain situations, certain people have various responsibilities that require them to rise early. For an example let's take a new parent. Such a parent will most likely have to wake up several times during the night because of their newborn child.

A kid will have to wake up anywhere between 5 and 7 in order to go to school so that he or she could, one day be an upstanding citizens in our society and have a nice, steady income that will allow them and their families to live a comfortable life.

An adult will have to get up early so that he or she, could get ready for work, providing the lifeblood of civilization that is money for their families in this world. This money would in turn be used to pay the bills and mortgages, buy food, water, commodities and various services that are either needed in order for their daily lives to operate, or simple a form of pleasure and enjoyment.

One Uzumaki Naruto, a man stranded far, far from home simply rose up from the state of sleeping awareness because it was, to him, an already ingrained part of his lifestyle, gained from countless early training, or better yet torture sessions, sleepless night during war-time, deep-field operations in the enemy territory and the weight of command.

Even after spending a whole year in this new world, where there was almost no war, ruled by technology, he still didn't acclimate to the sudden change in atmosphere, the simple context of peace something unfamiliar to the body of a man who spent more than half his life on the battlefield, fighting with tooth and nail for his life.

Linen cotton white covers slid off as a leg made contact with the floor. The sudden shock of coldness that assaulted his thermal senses located on the soles of his feet sent a brief jolt of unpleasantly running down the man's spine.

The man didn't even detect it as a nuisance. As soon as the sensation came, it vanished from his body, and the man brought his left hand up, clutched into a loose fist. As Naruto rubbed the gunk and grime that had collected itself there during nighttime when the man slept soundlessly out of his eyes, he stifled a small yawn that threatened to scape his lips.

As his eyes adjusted to the difference between total darkness and a moderatly illuminated room, Naruto squinted his eyes looking towards the clock. The shinobi's enhanced eyesight had easily spotted the hands in the relative darkness in the corner of his room.

It didn't surprise Naruto in the slightest to see them show 5:40 in the morning, his chronic sleep disorder usually waking him up at that exact time, down to the minute on the clock. His cobalt blue eyes swung towards the opened casement window, where the see-through curtains swayed on the air gracefully, a light morning breeze moving them in fluiditic motions.

From his position, sitting atop his not-so-glamorous bed, the yellow haired teenager could see the majestic moon, currently peeking over a single cloud and the urban sight of the city.

The simple, serene moment was interrupted as an annoying voice broke thought the air, reminding Naruto once again, of his messed up situation and his equally strange 'traveling companions'.

One of them was a crazy sociopathic priest with a sick penchant for village sized slaughters and massacres of innocents and guilty alike.

The other was a ridiculous, and if you asked Naruto, unwanted familiar connection, of which he had no idea about until two years ago, long before he had ended up stranded in this world, stranded with his two little passengers accompanying him on the road of life.

''Oy... Wake up you asshole. No time for gazing at the scenery'' And so, Naruto turned his head towards the far corner of his room where the two special companions were planted.

A talking ...head with medium-length silver hair that was slicked back and distinctive purple eyes spoke, averting the blonde's gaze from the simple picture with his obnoxious noise as the shinobi's cobalt blues settled at the rather awkward sight in front of them.

2 decapitated, living… _breathing_ heads of his former foes lay upright on a small brown wooden cabinet inside his room in the far corner of his room.

Admitably, his appartement was not something big or fancy, but it was sure as hell bigger than his cramped cell within ANBU HQ, where he had spent about a year after a certain incident involving the snake-sannin of Konoha, Orochimaru the White Snake.

His sleeping room was relatively small, a 4x5 meter room with a table in the corner, where several schoolbooks, dictionaries and an encyclopedia were located, 2 small cabinets and the bed. It was a rather nice prospect of being able to sleep in soft beds again, Naruto having been used to sleeping on simple futon, bed roll or bare tree bark for the last few years when forced to.

Naruto started to open his mouth, but found his attempt at initiating a response cut off as the other head responded in an attempt to silence the immortal priest. Hard fucker to keep down, that one.

Dark charcoal eyes opened ominously. There was an emotion in there, one that Naruto could never quite place. It was a mixture of hatred and arrogance, darkness and power that could intimidate most people foolish enough to look into them, to even glance at them for a moment

For an Uchiha, that single moment is often a moment enough.

''Be quiet you joke of a priest. _Some_ of use are trying to get some sleep. So shut your trap'' irritatedly, the head of the great Uchiha Madara snapped at the beheaded Jashinist with a force of a pencil, only serving to elect a scowl from the other head.

Hidan tried to turn his eyes towards the Uchiha Head (hehe, it's a pun), but with the lack of muscles to turn and no way to do so by his own means, it proved to be a pointless endeavour.

''Ohhh, I forgot, you prickly _Uchiha_ need your beauty sleep'' Madara frowned at the man's words. What audacity coming from the mouth of a worm such as him. There was no need to dignify the so-called priest with a response other than a dismissive, and an Uchiha patented trademark 'Hn' sound.

''Hnn?''

Naruto, for a hundredth time since waking up in this strange world filled with as much prejudice as his own, if not more felt his eye begin to twitch at the ambiguous noise.

As a child, he always detected the subtle, barely nonexistent difference in the measure of speech that the Uchihas implored in their conversations. He never gave it much thought, but finding out that a whole clan has a vocabulary of similar grunts and hmms literary etched into their DNA, perceiving as he could understand them by instincts, was a bit too much ro swallow at some point.

That notion however, paled considerably when confronted with the disturbing facts that came to light during the continent wide anti-Akatsuki war. It was hard for Naruto to come to terms with some of those facts.

Firstly he was an Uchiha by blood and eyes, especially with his Rinnegan. Naruto's blood screen was a confusing and screwed up mixture of Senju genes giving him a strong and powerfull physical body, Uzumaki genes gained from Kushina gave him a powerful life force and a dense chakra, while the Uchiha genes allowed him to turn his dojutsu off, now that he had it. Lastly there were the non-human genes added to the mix, gained from the only woman he would ever call his mother.

This was realised shortly after the first encounter with Madara on the field of battle, when it was shown that Naruto could deactivate his Rinnegan that he took from Nagato in exchange for the attack that blinded him during battle.

The second disturbing fact was that he came out to be a descendant of Madara. Of all Uchihas that he could have been a grandson of, he had to be of the crazy one.

The man who had tried to place the entire world into an unbreakable genjutsu, inside which he would have been a God, The God. Madara would have had the powers to do as he pleased, and with everyone robed of their free will and enjoying themselves to lies nobody could have opposed him.

The third fact was something that made Naruto more apprehensive of the world. To say that he was alone as a child would be an understatement. He never knew why he was kept at bay by the villagers.

Sure they never did anything particularly bad to him or attacked him, but such a lonely childhood will have consequences. To meet the woman that gave birth to you on a field of battle was really downtrothing, and she was going along the plan for Tsuki no Me.

They never really talked, but he could easily guess what happened. She had left him alone in the village because he was chosen to be a jinchuriki by his father. It pained him, even more so knowing that he had to had break his monther-son relationship with Yasaka because he wanted to protect her from Akatsuki, and his own m..the woman who gave birth to him-

It was degrading.

It was a cruel joke.

As the two body-less heads continued to bicker like a pair of old ladies, Naruto brought his hand up to his temple and pressed his fingers in. The sound of the two dangerous ninja, one of them literally immortal in every sense of the word and another resurrected from grave, a man considered on the level of a God, acting like that was disturbing and brought him headaches on a whole different level.

Madara could summon bloody _meteors_ from orbit at will to level entire bases, making him a hard fucker to attack or to defend against. He had fought of several Kages, both past and present, both resurrected and alive at the same time, and wiped the floor with them using his combat prowess and Susanoo making them look like greener than grass genin.

And here he was behaving like a grumpy old hag. Naruto often wondered where was the familiar connection between them if the man could turn into such a child at times.

''Both of you be quiet, or I will throw you in the trash bin, along with the bad eggs that I threw there yesterday'' Naruto hissed a warning. It had the intended effect of shutting the two decapitated shinobi up, and allowed Naruto enough time to massage his scalp, defusing the migraine before it got out of hand.

Getting up from his seat on the bed, he advanced towards them with a slow gait, taking a considerable pleasure in seeing their faces go pale white. They still had noses, and they knew he would deliver on that warning.

Hell he did worse that that.

Picking the 2 dismembered pieces of human anatomy up, he entered the living room, where another window allowed the moonlight to seep into the room and bask it with the reflective sunlight.

Setting the heads on a table in the corner, he stepped across the white tatami mat that he had in the room, and turned the TV on. The small box was much, much more advanced then the one from his world, with an obsene amount of channels to pick from.

While some of the things, well let's be straight, most of the things he found hilarious or downright stupid, there were plenty of channels that contained interesting information. This is how he learned mostly about the world he found himself in. A world, which all three of them noted, was far, far larger then their own.

While the Elemental Nations were never fully discovered, there was, at most a population of 30 million people across 2 continents and several large islands. This world, had over 7 billion people in it.

The country of Japan alone, the country with the most resemblance in tradition and history similar with their worlds, had over 120 million residents.

''Stop'' Madara suddenly said as the program reached what looked like a movie with World domination in it. Naruto rolled his eyes at his… grandfathers choice.

He shuddered at the thought, still finding it highly disturbing. While, due to the actions of Yasaka, he shared her blood and could be classified as her son_, _he had a noticeably smaller amount of similarities in his genetic structure with the man and his daughter, it was still a world altering fact.

''Riiight... Still think you can persuade me to conquer the world.'' Naruto mussed out loud, ignoring the ramblings that the Jashinist spouted behind him. The man was mostly insane in battle, but to the surprise of Naruto, he learned that as long as the topic stayed off slaughter and religion, he could hold a decent conversation with the man.

He had a funny laid back attitude, usually ignoring others and trying to get on their nerves, but had a sense of humour, which was unfortunately, mostly dark and cynical at times. It wasn't like Naruto had much of a choice of company and it was most likely safer just to keep them with him. No matter how much he despised Madara and wanted to make him suffer, Kara-chan wouldn't have wanted her death to turn him into a sadist.

That was her job.

Madara's face crunched in thought, and if Naruto was looking in his direction, he would have seen a rather hardened and determined expression on the face, before it was broken by the patented Uchiha smirk. ''Hmm. Of course. You are an Uchiha with those eyes. Nothing but the world under our feet is appropraite''

Naruto leaned to the side, a deadpan expression on his face as he stared at Madara. ''Right. I think I will pass on the whole family business of becoming a world ruler, thank you very much'' he spoke dryly, but with a trace of sarcasm present in the bored tone.

Madara looked like he was struck in the heart, as such was the expression on his face. Which was odd and highly disturbing thought, considering he didn't have a heart anymore, literally or metaphorically.

How the heck did he even talk and breathe. The man had no lungs. His brain shouldn't function as his blood vessels didn't circulate any of the life fluid.

Naruto decided, that there were somethings that he was better of not knowing.

''Mark my words. The world will experience the power of an Uchiha one day. Just you wait. You have my blood coursing thought your veins, my divine power in your body and eyes.'' Madara swore, his eyes looking up at Naruto's defiantly, but with disappointment at his grandson's reluctance to show the world the power of a True Uchiha.

A true Uchiha was an Uchiha with the eyes and power, and the power was the ability to make physical changes possible.

Naruto would have denied it all, but found a much more reasonable way to shot down the man's words. ''In case you forgot. These eyes are worthless without chakra. None of us have chakra. How can I even live and the two of you exist is a mystery to me''

With that he turned around and walked into the storage room.

Where he kept what small amount of shinobi equipment he had. His 12-piece ANBU uniform and mask, several scrolls containing various supplies and one of them containing his old Ninjato, another the hilt for the broken Fuijin no ken, Naruto's attempt to replicate the Raijin, and 2 pouches containing several kunai, shuriken, ninja wire and a flash bomb.

The walls were decorated by 3 different racks, each one holding one specific piece of equipment, a piece that Naruto and his companions had on them the moment they woke up in the world.

The closest to the door was Madara's war fan, capable of deflecting anything up to the Demonic Bijudama. Little further, another rack contains Hidan's triple bladed scythe, it's appearance quite ominous and terrifying.

The last and Naruto's personal favorite, was the Sword of Kusanagi, once wielded by Orochimaru of the Sannin, taken from the man's corps as a trophy after an assassination mission.

It was a nigh indestructible Jian, a blade with the length of a regular Katana but a different build. It had a pointed tip, the nearest comparison Naruto found would be some of the European Knight swords from the medieval age.

It was double-edged, the handle was coloured black with white strapings. The hilt was coloured in a dim golden, maybe bronze colour, and had a small blue jewel built into the hilt, which curved upwards like 2 small arms or horns.

The shinobi calmly walked into the small room containing the powerful weapons from his own world. As he stepped in, he vaguely remembered another orphan, by the name of Tenten, who latter became a kunoichi, that would have most likely drooled at the sight.

Blue eyes glided across the length of the magnificent blade, one of the deadliest creations of the heavens that was bestowed upon the mortal plane. Naruto's eyes easily saw the various details on the blade, and he took a moment to admire it.

As he stood in front of it, he suddenly snapped his fingers, eyes concentrating, but to his, rather regular disappointment, he only produced a small puff of smoke, instead of an ember. All he got was a small diminishing smoke.

But hey, at least that was something. It meant that he could still retain chakra, but can't sense it or acess it.

Naruto, now dressed in a blue shorts and a black T-shirt, softly walked into the room, not at all bothered by the stares he was receiving from the two heads as he moved past them.

Although his favorite colour was and will always be orange, the colour just doesn't work for a ninja, so he has a very small number of clothes with such coloring.

He has a pair of pants, one of them coloured in a dark, burnt orange with triple black stripes at the sides and an inverted one, black all-around with orange stripes. One white jacket with a large orange stripe around the zip and trimming the edges of the jacket. And one dark orange T-shirt with a sewed in blue spiral.

As noted, Naruto loved orange, but couldn't fathom wearing it all at once. He would glow in the dark if he did. Besides, orange and ANBU don't mix together.

As his body stepped into the moonlight, the Kusanagi sword within his hand shone as the light was reflected off it, creating an eerie picture that would have made several kunoichi swoon, no matter how professional they were.

As Naruto stood in simple ready stance, his legs lowered slighty and in a crouch, the sword in front of him pointing upwards, he took a deep breath. He rarely ever thought that he would have taken a liking to Kenjutsu, as in his youth he was more of a brawler and taijutsu oriented, with a couple support ninjutsu that he could utilise to a great effect.

But as time flew by, the kunoichi in charge of his training in the ANBU core, his taicho managed to make him interested in the blades, especially seeing that his primary affinity was wind natured.

And then he moved.

It was a dance of death, a form so simple, practiced over hours and hours of training sessions that it had become a second nature for his muscles to move like. The blade cut through the air at lightning fast speeds, a single stroke not requiring more than a tensing of a muscle to propel the weapon forward, producing whooshing noises as the air had to part from the space it occupied.

There were very few holes in the stance, each movement made had a purpose, and it delivered on said purpose with himself would have problems spotting the few flaws in his style on his own, but thankfully he wasn't on his own.

The Uzumaki blonde wasn't really a kenjutsu combatant himself, but he had an excellent grasp of basics to the sword style. The system he used was more focused on slashing speed due to his usage of a ninjato in the past, but it worked well with the jian for an odd reason.

Besides Orochimaru just swung it arround and killed, so why couldn't he.

Madara, even if he wouldn't admit it due to the differences, was proud that his descendant was powerful enough to fight with him and his daughter on even terms. And so, while he tried to persuade his foolish descendant that he should, as an Uchiha, because clearly only an Uchiha could stand up to another one, be the one to conquer this world, and rule over it so that they could erase the concept of winners and losers, he could help him with any problems in the boy's style.

If there were few things both of them shared, it was knowledge and the love of battle.

It wasn't knowledge like knowing the history, or being able to calculate the coronal mass ejectioned from the sun with a single burst, but the knowledge of the world and surroundings, to be able to make a difference, to understand.

And while Madara long ago saw the faults of the world and fell under the Curse of Hatred, believing that the only way to help the world was thought destruction and control, Naruto was a true Sage and a descendant of Rikkudo.

So Madara was helpful when Naruto trained with the sword, spotting any opening which could be exploited and how they could be exploited. It was nearly impossible for someone to see the flaws within their own style after a certain amount of perfectionism of said style.

''When, you swing the blade for the upwards slash, your left hip is exposed. Focus, do not allow anyone enough time to see the openings, exploit them if they do. Never let the enemy dictate the dance'' Madara started to explain what he saw wrong with the style as Naruto turned towards his beheaded grandfather and listened patiently.

Even if he didn't like it too much, the man was still a virtual library of knowledge and techniques, having lived through the Clan wars and the first Shinobi war, he could easily help Naruto with his own combat techniques.

Naruto listened as Madara explained what he should and should not do in the moment that his flank was exposed for a strike, and some of the things Madara taught could be considered ludicrous by almost anyone with a will to keep all of their limbs together. Naruto however, whatever due to the shared genes, or his mins which was already used to thinking outside the box, could see the gains that such a move could give.

As Naruto finished his routine morning training session, something that he had started doing in order to keep his mind off the thoughts of home and to keep his body in peak condition, however low or high that may be, he shivered.

The usually warm breeze felt cold against his exposed skin, as the drops of sweat produces by his high degree training travelled down his form. The blonde shinobi wasn't breathing hard or sweating profusely, as he had an outrageous amount of stamina, but every body had it's limits.

One hour of nearly non-stop high speed combat movements would tire a man out, and he no longer possessed chakra, so his body was, for the most part, simply human, like the rest of the world.

Chakra was what allowed shinobi to perform the outrageous stunts and to shape the world to their biding, wielding the elements like masters. It could be found in any living creature, or at least a similar type of energy could be found in a living creature.

Even the air around them, the trees, the ground, the water, even these had a form of energy that flowed thought the world.

Even Lee, someone who could never hope to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, had access to chakra, and it was that chakra that allowed him to move at the speeds of sound and to open the Celestial Gates.

Naruto had searched in historical records and lore for mentioning of chakra, or anything similar to it, but so far he didn't have luck. He couldn't sense chakra due to his own lack of it, so he couldn't in turn, sense Nature.

Something told him that these people didn't have chakra though.

He could, just barely, sense some close, very close negative and killing intent. His battle tested instincts and senses could warn him of imminent danger, but when you put everything together, his career as a shinobi of his world was over.

The 17 year old soldier looked towards the opened window, his eyes locking onto a car which was driving down the road at a sedate pace, stopping at the traffic lights. As he wandered on what could he do in this new world, his reverie was interrupted by the sociopathic priest.

''Hethens. They follow the words of a false god. Lord Jashin will smite those fuckers, eternal damnation will wait for them'' Hidan cursed as the channel shoved one of the many religions that this world implored. The Jashinst was highly sensitive about any topic that concerned religion, and would often voice his thought of the world's numerous heathens.

Naruto was about to say something but stopped, and considered his actions. While most stories in his world would be attributed to legends, gods did exists in his own world. There were some like Jashin and the demonic Jubi, a primal god of his world, which gave Naruto the creeps.

Then there were other deities which rarely concerned with the mortal affairs, but had some contracts with it in which they either lended their aid or a portion of their power to the summoner.

This would be the death God, **Shiginami**; then the goddess of the sun, whose flames were passed down onto the Uchiha's, **Amaterasu-ōmikami**; the god of storms, the Tempestuous God of Valour. He with the ability to help by all means, who bestowed the strongest shield and the sharpest spear onto the Uchiha clan, **Susanoo** and many more, most of which Naruto didn't bother remembering

**Jashin** granted his followers immortality for their service, and Hidan was a very, very staunch follower. There was simply no way to make him stop with his religious ramblings once he got into one of these moods.

So in the end, Naruto shook his head, and decided to keep quiet and not allow himself to be dragged into another discussion about deities which might last for hours on end.

So after eating breakfast, and later feeding the 2 heads with some food, if only because of common courtesy before he started to poke them out of sheer boredom, Naruto showered. The shower was nice and warm, cleansing his body o the sweat that accumulated there over his morning routine.

Naruto usually kept the TV on in the mornings, since it didn't use up that much electricity and it allowed the 2 bodiless heads to do something other than stare and bicker constantly. After showering, the boy quickly dresses himself in the school uniform.

Kuoh Academy, the school where he went for about one year, now going to the third year class, has two sets of uniforms, one for boys and one for girls. The girls' uniform consists of a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, a black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset, and a magenta skirt with white accents. The boys' uniforms consists of a black blazer with white accents, a white, long-sleeved dress shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes. Both of the uniforms' dress shirts also have short-sleeved versions for spring/summer. However Naruto usually wore the long sleeved version.

''Now, the two of you behave. Allright?!'' Naruto asked as he stood in front of the TV, looking down at the talking heads like they were some children. The 2 older males in the room sent him nasty glares, which he abruptly waved of with no concern for his health whatsoever. It's not like they could do anything to harm him. Picking up his briefcase containing the books required in school, he waved them off lazily and locked the door.

He stood there for a few moments and only moved after he heard Hidan cursing at Madara, a faint smile on his lips. He might not have much to live in either worlds, but the little pleasures were enough to keep him sane.

For now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play**: Smile DK - Butterfly

Naruto walked down the stairs of the small apartment building with his left hand in his pocket, wearing a bored expression on his whiskered face. His hair, which was mostly golden blonde with the few faintest, barely notable crimson streaks in it was as untamable as ever. He had long ago given up on trying to tame it.

He came up to and stopped in front of a white door and knocked on the wood two times, before leaning back into a relaxed stand. The blonde didn't have to wait for long, before the doors opened and a little girl arround 12 years of age stepped out of the door back first, followed by an older woman, obviously the girl's mother by the similar facial structure and hair colour.

The woman offered Naruto a small smile that was the epitome of honesty, something that the 'boy' rarely saw on adult faces in his own world. She then kneeled down at the head-level of the little girl in front of her.

The woman's name was Tokiwa Maseramu. She has a calm and level-headed personality, and good manners. She is also very respectful off and to other people, most often using honorifics when speaking to a high degree.

Tokiwa is also an imposing figure, easily towering over normal people of japanese descent by a whole head. She has a slender physique with a very angular face framed by her short platinum blonde hair, which reminded Naruto of the Yamanaka clan, along with a dark shade of red lipstick.

She always had the aura of a kind mother and was immensely helpful to Naruto when he was trying to find his own way in the world, and had his loyalty, for what good it was in this world.

''Now Sara-chan, I'm sorry, but I can't go with you to the new school today.'' She explained to the little girl who was looking at her with a disappointed look, as if she knew this would happen. Sara Maseramu was a little girl with pale blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She is an almost a spitting image of her mother, but with a more rounded face and with the baby fat still present. She could easily pull of a really cute look when she emulated her big brother figure's unconscious manners and cocked her head to the side, allowing a few strands of hair to fall in front of her eyes which she would usually then blow away with a small focused breath.

Seeing that lost look on her face, Tokiwa quickly tried to sooth her own worries that her little baby would be safe by saying the next sentence. She had a lot of faith in Naruto, so she was sure that Sara would be fine with him arround.

''But, you can go with Naruto-san if you'd like'' she said that with a sad smile as her daughter's eyes widened in happiness. Sara felt a gentle tap on her head, and abruptly turned around, craning her head upwards to see Naruto's cobalt blues looking at her with fondness reserved only to a select few people, their number counted easily on one hand.

She saw him as a role model and a big brother, who was always there for her when Kaa-san wasn't. A mere moment later, and had already latched herself onto the blonde ninja with a cry of ''Onii-chan!''. The force of such action elected a tumult 'Humph' from the tall blonde, who was for all intents and purposes, her big brother.

She was wearing the girls' uniform consisting of a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, a black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset, and a magenta skirt with white accents. She also had a red ribbon in her hair in the shape of a small fox, a gift from her Naruto.

''There, there Sara-chan. Do you have everything'' Naruto asked the girl like he was her real brother with a consoling tone of voice, giving a polite nod to the woman who had a thankful and relieved expression written all over her face.

Sara who had her face buried within his bowls somewhere, didn't see it.

Tokiwa had to go on another business meeting and couldn't be there for the first day of school of her little girl. The fact that she was a single mother didn't help at all, so Naruto was once again left to repay her kindness. He always tried to help her in concern with Sara and it was a big relief to know she could trust him.

The little girl nodded, her face still buried within his stomach, so the sound came out muffled and barely recognisable. After a few humorous seconds, Naruto spoke, his tone dripping with amusement .

After a few moments Naruto spoke, amusement dripping from his tone. ''Ughhhh Sara. Onii-chan can't move if you don't let go'' the little cutie didn't show it, but she had one hell of a grip. Her seemingly favorite thing these days was seeing if she can break Naruto's spine with her hugs.

''Dot cffar'' the little girl replied, her words unrecognizable to the world, but her shaking of the head was an answer enough. Naruto stared at her for a moment of awkwardness, before sighing and conceding defeat. He just couldn't say no to her. Dammit he was going soft again.

''Does little Sara want a piggy-back'' he asked, already knowing what she was trying to do. The little girl was extremely shy with others, and it took time for her to trust them. So she, most often than not, relied on Naruto's presence when in his company to keep her 'safe'.

Her Onii-chan could be scary when she was threatened. She liked it!

''Yeay'' the little girl exclaimed in happiness, releasing Naruto from her hold and looking at him with those sparkling baby blue eyes.

Tokiwa looked at the two of them with mirth, watching as Naruto crouched down and placed the briefcase on the ground in front of himself, so that when Sara, who was smaller than most 12 year old children, placed her hands around his neck, she could hold it with one of her hands.

As Naruto stood up, his frame leaning forward a little so that Sara could rest on his back a bit better, he looked at the little girl with the corner of his eyes. Her face was resting on his right shoulder, and she had a childish grin on her face.

The little deviant.

''Are you ready Sara-chan'' Naruto asked

''Yeah!'' Sara enthusiastically nodded as he turned around to look at Tokiwa.

''Go, Onii-chan, Go!'' Sara commanded with enthusiasm pouring out of her, pointing one finger in the general direction of the school.

''Hai, Hai, Souka. Good day Tokiwa-san. I'l return this gaki in the evening'' Naruto bid his goodbye as he moved away from the apartment doors located on the street level, right next to his only lower. The one + baggage moved down the street.

Sara wore a small red backpack on her back. The little girl constantly chatted, asking various questions about Naruto's stories. Naruto would sometimes talk about his more sedated missions, making sure that they looked mild and heroic, never mentioning himself. He had a range of stories, from the Vicious Tora, to saving princesses and the little girl always liked to listen to his words.

Those of course, were the mild ones, there were things that gave him nightmares sometimes, as every ANBU had. There's a reason why the Black Ops are called The Blaco Ops. Whatever they did, couldn't be tracked to peaceful, prosperous Konoha, the pillar of morality in the world.

As they reached a cross walked, he stopped talking as he spotted the academy gates. He waited for it to turn green before continuing on. Looking to the right, he notices the nervous look on his adopted sister's face. ''Are you okay Sara-chan?''

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." She replied as she tried to give her brother a smile. But even if she didn't say anything, he already knew she a little scared. Sara was a shy person when it came to going to new places or meeting new people. It was only after she got to know them that she could really open up to people.

"… You know you can always come to me when something's bothering you, right?" Naruto said.

"I'm fine Onii-chan, really!" Sara put on a brave face as she said that, before seeing the look on his face before seeing his eyes narrow a bit. She looked back down with a sad look, "… I'm a little scared, this is my first day at this school so I have no idea what it's going to be like." The lower classes start a little later than higher classes, having two extra weeks of freedom. Sara was just transferred to the school and she would be in unfamiliar territory.

Naruto smiled as he reached out and patted his sister on the head, "Don't worry Sara." She lifted her head and saw her brother giving her a reassuring look. "Just take one step at a time and you'll be fine… but if anything bad happens you just call me and I'll come running."

The little girl nodded timidly, but put a brave expression on her face as she didn't want to worry her Onii-chan. Her Onii-chan was very worried when she was sad, shy or nervous, and it made her sad back in return for making her nice Onii-chan worried. That's why she would be brave, so that her Onii-chan could be happy.

"Thank you Onii-chan, I feel a bit better." She said as a bright smile grew on her face. "I can always count on you, huh?"

Naruto smirked a bit, "Of course, I'm your big brother after all. It's in my job description to watch over my cute, little baby sister."

"You don't have to add the baby part, ya know!" The younger girl exclaimed, before the siblings began to laugh together, ignoring the looks some people were giving them.

The Academy was very nice and gave an illustrious feel and look to it. It had cobbled paths and even had a water fountain in the center of the courtyard in the front of the school. There was a main building in the center of the campus which was surrounded by other various buildings.

"Wow, look at this place!" Sara said as she looked at all the buildings. "Everything's so big!" the little girl examined the outwards design of the academy, admiring the look. ''You go here to school Naruto-nii-chan'' The little girl exclaimed in awe in reference to the beautiful scenery. It was definitely different from her old school.

"Of course, this school needs to be." Naruto said as he walked up to the fountain after his sister, making sure to keep her in his sights. "It does have students ranging from middle school to college."

His sister wasn't paying attention however as she stared at the fountain with sparkling eyes, "Wow, it's so pretty." Naruto shook his head in amusement before looking at main building, his eyes soon zoned in a he caught a glimpse of red passing by one of the windows. He wasn't able to think about it however as he felt his neck being pulled lightly by Sara, "Let's go Onii-chan, we have to get our class schedules."

"Alright, alright. No need to pull the reins." Naruto chuckled weakly as he walked inside with his sister on the back, not paying attention to the stares he was getting from the other students.

More specifically, the female ones.

It was actually sad how dense the boy could be sometimes, that or completely blind to miss the reactions. For example the hearts in the eyes of most girls, and blushes across their faces as they watched the two apparent siblings, or what most people guessed siblings due to the way that Naruto acted and the similar hair colour, siblings interact.

Or was he really that dense. He kept most girls at bay, and never took the, sometimes rather blatant and open offers of a illicit activities from some of the hottest girls on campus.

Why?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the pair reached the main office and Sara received her time tables, they headed off toward where Sara's class was, the girl now walking on the ground along with Naruto normally. After making sure his sister was okay one last time the two said their goodbyes before Naruto headed off towards his own classroom.

Naruto ran into a fast jog, not wanting to be late to class once again as he ran thought the corridors and up the stairs towards the class.

The years of training his body, and spent in combat gave him a body many females would love to feel. He was at a respectable height of six foot with a lean yet muscular body.

Shinobi's muscles, even when not enforced with chakra, were much harder and powerful than a regular human could ever have, but they were compact into normal size, so that they didn't get in the way and lower a person's maneuverability and agility. And while Naruto had a lot of power in them, they didn't obscure his movements.

Of course, without chakra he will never be as fast as he once was, such a shame.

Naruto passed by many of the other students that were in hallway and soon arrived at the classroom. Opening the door, he made his way inside just as the bell rang, indicating the start of the class. All the students in the room turned to see him entering the room, the teacher spoke first.

"Ah Mr. Uzumaki. You've decided to grace us with your presence on time" She greeted Naruto with a smile, already used to him appearing in the nick of time, but wanted to tease the boy a little.

"Sorry if I'm a little late Sensei" Naruto replied as he used his other hand to rub the back of his head, before hastily bowing to her. "My sister starts today and I wanted to make sure she got to her class okay." Ms. Emiya was a woman in late 20's with waist length black hair and brown chocolate eyes. She wore the teacher's uniform, similar to the students but with a few notable differences.

"It's no trouble at all, family is important. Just try to be on time from now on. " The teacher said to him as she motioned for him to move towards his seat.

Naruto nodded his head and walked silently towards his seat. When he sat down he glanced towards the girl on his left and had to, once again fight down a small blush that his body seemed intent on delivering.

It confused him why would looking at her cause such a reaction. There were many reasons why he should be immune to such hormonal reactions. The first would be the that small detail that he was trained in resistance as many kunoichi used their bodies in order to distract and kill their opponents.

The second would be the fact that he had long ago lost his _innocence_ to Kara-chan. The girl was rather happy to make a man out of him even if he was younger than her by three years. Not that it mattered in the shinobi world all that much. Besides, the two of them loved each other dearly.

But still, the girl was incredibly beautiful, easily one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, and he had seen them. From natural beauties to regal daimyo's and princesses, from simple bar maids to actresses of Koyuki's level.

She was a buxom young figure with a light skin tone and her eyes were a blue-green color. But what instantly caught his attention was her long, crimson red hair that reaches down to her thighs, with a single hair strand sticking out from the top and a few bangs that covered her forehead and side bangs framing her face. He had to admit it was a very nice color on her.

But that was not supposed to be enough to force a reaction out of him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_4 hours later_

The class was going along splendidly in the teachers humble opinion.

Mr. Nusahi, a tall, big-boned man in his late 40's stood in front of the whole class, right in front of the various students. Wearing a thick green blazer and a red and white tie, expensive pants and gentleman shoes, he looked funny with his signature one-eye glasses on his left side. All he needed was a moustache and a cane to complete his lock of a 18's century fellow.

His facial structure was more european, as his mother came from UK during the years after the WW2. There she had meet with his father, a rather educated japanese male with a small company. Years later, he was born.

The only clue to his japanese descent are the slanted eyes, and even they didn't stand out all that much. Right now, he was explaining the definition behinds the Fourier Series, in mathematical terms and for what the equations could be used and implemented in real life to his young, impressionable students.

In the back row, sitting in the middle left seat, Naruto brought up his left hand to massage the space between his eyes. He was rubbing his temple softly with hard, but a little calloused fingers, because his head was hurting from all of this information.

He wondered what could and what was he supposed to do with all of this information. He was a soldier, a professional assassin who's power came as close to a mortal Kami as one could within their lifetime, as much as he tried not to think about it. It wasn't good for one's humility in the least to compare yourself with deitis.

But, as much as he was reluctant to admit it, the fact is that it was still true. The power of the Rinnegan, along with the abbility to menipulate nature energy, and it's skills known as Senjutsu was what made the Rikkudo Sennin so powerful in the first place, and gave him the ability of All-Creation.

Though this wasn't something Naruto had mastered in any case. Not at all. He was busy trying to put Madara, Akatsuki, fricking Edo Tensei immortal shinobi, white Zetsu clones and various shinobi from hidden villages that didn't belong to the big 5 six feet under.

The **Creation of All Things**, also known as **Banbutsu Sōzō, **is an ability, originally possessed by the Rikkudo Sennin, which, in tandem with either nature energy or chakra can be used to create anything based out of the user's will.

The process used initially involves the administration of imagination, and later the application of one of the required energies in order to from a basis for a physical form out of nothingness.

When utilising the normal chakra, the user, along with the force of will and imagination, and the spiritual energy which forms the basis of Yin chakra to create physical forms from nothingness.

Then, through the application of vitality, and the physical energy which forms the basis of Yang chakra, one can would breathe life into the resulting creations if so required, or to stabilize the form and shape of the object.

Now in the Shinobi World, humans weren't the only sentient species, nor the only ones with the ability to utilise chakra. The were various higher beings such as dragons and Yokai didn't really meddle in the affairs of shinobi and humans, as long as they were left alone.

Long wars and various monster hunts have driven a wide wedge between the creatures of demonic and human chakra. The various demonic creatures generally had larger reserves of chakra than most humans, so the number of people, human shinobi with more raw power than them was rare.

Equally rare was the number of shinobi with his level's of chakra. He had as much if more than Madara, and Kushina was just a little above him in chakra levels, so when comparing raw power, they were all about equals.

Far above any normal Kage, by far

Yasaka the Kyuubi Yokai, the demonic fox once sealed inside him and the woman who raised him and prepared him for the harshness of the world. She wasn't the most gentle at it at time, but since she wasn't present in that dimension, he could never talk to her again.

She was, she is the one woman that Naruto would ever call his mother, and she had his total loyalty. She didn't know it, and hopefully never will know that Naruto would have sacrificed everything for her safety.

Even her love as a parent.

Entering the ANBU core at the ripe age of 8, Naruto soon received access to one of the most extensive information networks in the whole world. The word of an organization called Akatsuki gunning for the highest level Yokai, or better known as the tailed beast due to their nearly immeasurable powers, made Naruto's whole life crushing down.

Not nearly another year after that, the Akatsuki had captured all of the tailed beasts besides the 9 demons sealed within various jinchuriki. They had taken the powers and lives of all the Yokai present in their dimensional plane.

He had had to make her leave, to guard her.

In his childish mindset, it was the only way to keep her safe. Even if most demons were generally more powerful than shinobi, there were reasons why they were considered mostly extinct, besides the fact that most have left to Makai where human's were nearly non-existant.

They made sure of that.

Humans could both defeat them, or seal them in order to exploit their power. Naruto had pleaded with his adopted ANBU nii-san to help him back then. The man had his reservations, knowing that this would not be beneficial for their village in any way but had, in the end conceited and helped him.

He was far too gentle a sole to not help a child in such a desperate need.

He had used his Kotoakatsumi on her, but the back-then unsealed vixen was too strong to be swayed by such a technique in full. Naruto had to sever any and all of his ties with her, to make her think he didn't love her, that he had despised her.

Or risk failing the whole plan.

It broke his heart then, but he could see no alternative. She meant more than anything for him as a child, and it had to be done.

Through thick and thin, he had fought and bleed for his village after that, knowing that one day, he would have to fight in orded to keep her safe.

Naruto Uzumaki-(Uchiha-Senju), the prophesied Kono Yo no Kyūseishu, the Saviour of this World, the newest God of Shinobi, and the supposed reincarnation of the original Rikudo Senin, the Sage of the Six Paths.

Against Madara Uchiha, the leader of the legendary Uchiha clan, Futarime no Rikudō, the Second Sage of Six Paths, and the man's daughter, Kushina Uzumaki-Uchiha, Naruto's birth mother.

Naruto groaned to himself softly, as not to attract attention as he managed his temple, cobalt blue eyes staring at the green school board, upon which, in neat white letters and numbers was written a long sequence of numbers and letters.

In mathematics, a Fourier series decomposes periodic functions or periodic signals into the sum of a (possibly infinite) set of simple oscillating functions, namely sines and cosines. The study of Fourier series is a branch of Fourier analysis.

He wanted, he really, really wanted to ignore the man's ramblings as they meant little, but he took to view this as a challenge. He might not need to be a grade A student with math, but it would be nice to be able to brag in front of Madara about the ridiculous equations and what they meant.

He had only the small pleasures left, besides his little sunshine of a sister.

''In this section, _s_(_x_) denotes a function of the real variable _x_, and _s_ is integrable on an interval [_x_0, _x_0 + _P_], for real numbers _x_0 and _P_. We will attempt to represent _s_ in that interval as an infinite sum, or series, of harmonically related sinusoidal functions. Outside the interval'' ….on second thought, maybe he should just fall asleep and wait for the class to finish. Surely this torture can't last that much longer, can it?

The blonde shinobi glanced up at the clock. The clock's hands ticked as they indicated the time left untill the end of the class. 28 minutes 17 seconds remaining.

The reincarnation of a man which defied the Primal Yokai God, had to resist the urge to slam his head into the table.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play: **No Angels Elle'Ments #5 Daylight in your Eyes Full HD

Naruto stood up with a stretch of his bones and muscles as some of the other students started to leave the room for the lunch break. The ex-Konoha ninja made his way into the hallway, where he could see a lot of students make their way to either get something to eat from the cafeteria or find a place to eat on the outside, to take the sun while it was still warm.

Taking a look outside Naruto decided to find a good place to relax under the sun. With a smile on his face Naruto started his way outside and made it downstairs, but before he could walk out the back entrance he heard a voice call out to him.

"Onii-chan!" Naruto turned to see his adopted sister running up to him with her own packed lunch in her hands, a big smile on her face as she made her way closer to Naruto who leaned forward to smile at her.

''Hey Sara-chan, what are you doing here?" He asked as his sister stopped right in front of him, "I didn't think you guys had lunch break the same time we did."

"Of course, it's the same school after all." Sara said, making Naruto scratch the back of his head. "So are you going outside too?" she asked as she eyed his bento with interest.

The older blond teen nodded his head, "Yeah I was thinking about finding a good tree to relax under." Trees relaxed him. Being born and raised in Konoha, as well as finishing the Sage Training he found the nature soothing more than anything.

Besides ramen. Nothing beats Miso Ramen at Ichiraku's.

"Is it alright if I join you?" She asked with a puppy dog look. No matter how many times Naruto saw the look, he knew that he would never be able to resist it much unless the situation called for him to resist. It was the universal power all children, small cute creatures and women shared.

"Oi oi," Naruto's eyebrow twitched a little, "You don't have to do that you know, its fine. But don't you want to try to mingle with your classmates." Naruto tried to persuade the little girl to make friends with people of her age group.

It was beginning to concern him slightly, the fact that she wasn't on the friendliest terms with anyone her age. She only behaved normal with him, her mother and only one friend.

"But it's only the first day, I just want to get used to the school first." Sara replied with a huff as she crossed her arms. So she wanted to spend her time with her Onii-chan. Is that so bad?

"Oh, Naruto-san." A female voice called out, making the siblings turn their head to see Rias and another girl, one Naruto was vaguely familiar with, called Akeno, walking up to them. "Going outside for lunch?"

"Rias-chan" Naruto greeted with a smile at the girl's presence. It was a long time since he had a crush of some kind, and with all the things that were on his plate, he doubted that he could find a girl that could take the stress of his life. That, and Kara's death still pained him.

He had watched her die, unable to save her even with all the power he had. Was he only ever good for destroying things. Nothing he could do would have saved her, and it was what broke the camel's back.

He had gone out to fight Madara with a murderous vengeance, fully intent on sacrificing himself and anyone else close enough to be unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire of the mighty titans, in order to put the man firmly under Shinigami's grip. How many times could an Uchiha cheat death!

But still, might as well enjoy what little he could. It's not like he planned to have children. The idea hurt to much to bear, the memory of Kara still in his mind. Her cries of pain.

"Yeah, the two of us were going to go find a tree or someplace with a good shading."

"Huh? Two of you?" Rias blinked in confusion.

Looking behind her golden haired classmate, she could now see the little Sara, who had moved behind her brother figure when Rias came up to them.

Leaning forward with a charming smile, Rias gave the younger blonde-head a pleasant tone of voice. She just loved little children, unable to keep her more serious personality near them.

"Oh hello there, I'm Rias Gremory." She extended her hand in a form of greeting, always ready to learn more information about the blonde boy from her class that had some abnormal readings from what she could sense, and was always immune to her charm magic.

Sara just moved closer to her brother, making him frown a bit. "Come on Sara-chan, be nice." Naruto said as he took a step away forcing the girl out in the open.

He knew that she would never get over her shyness unless forced to, and from what he knew of Rias and Akeno, they were nice enough people for her to know.

Sara looked nervous for a second before bowing her head, "M-My n-name is S-Sara M-MASAREMU, IT'S NICE TO M-MEET YOU SEMPAI!" she shouted out quickly, after managing to muster enough courage, remembering her promise from before.

Of not making Onii-chan sad.

Rias looked a little surprised and momentarily startled at the girl sudden shout, but Naruto just let out a laugh while the second girl giggled into her hand demurely. Naruto patted a blushing Sara on the head, "Good job Sara-chan! A little loud at the end but not bad."

He praised with a good natured snicker, causing the little cutie in question to go strawberry red in face, and cover herself back into his clothes to keep the shame of her face.

It only made him lough louder. The girls found it incredibly cute.

He turned to Rias and the girl with a smile, "Sorry about that, Sara-chan is very shy when it comes to meeting new people. I've been trying to help her out with it." He explained as he pointed his opened palm towards the little blonde, his other hand still patting the unfortunate girl's head softly.

"Oh my, what a caring older brother you , though she's not your biological sister" The second girl stated in a sweet tone, asking the question immediately after. She was definitely up there with Rias in the beauty department, and like Rias she also had a very buxom form, one that Jiraya would have loved to research about.

She had long black hair and violet eyes and creamy colored skin. Her hair was being tied in a long ponytail, reaching all the way down to her legs with two antennae sticking out from the top and sloping backwards, with an orange ribbon keeping it in place.

"Well I try at least" Naruto rubbed the back of his head in an awkward manner, before his eyes narrowed slightly, his action going unnoticed mostly, but it stated just how serious he was about their connection "and yes, we are not related by blood. Do people need to be related to consider themselves friends and siblings"

It was a fundamental element of the Hi no Ishi. Everyone could be close to you. Genin teammates became good friends later in life, close as kin if allowed to blossom with their bond. The ANBU became your family, spending most of their time with you staring death in the face. The bonds in the ANBU were always the closest, impossible to break.

The Hokage was the father of the whole village, and the whole village was his family. Maybe a grandfather in the Sandaime's case, but you can't get picky.

Rias hid a smile at his words, happy at the thought, seeing as her family shared a similar philosophy as Naruto did. The Gremory were well known to threat their peerage with respect and love.

Her eyes were looking at the girl a little longer they normal, as she thought that maybe she could sense something coming from the little girl as well, but dismissed it for the moment of talking with the enigma called Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto decided to change the topic, as he could feel the little girl's hold on him tighten ever so slightly. Knowing why, he rationalized that he should keep the conversation off the topic of family.

Thinking quickly of what to say, he gave them a questioning glance that was well masked, but would come out as typical normal behaviour. "So are you two getting lunch as well." Tsuko's acting skills came to mind. The man could swindle a swindler with his hands tied behind his back and half-deaf.

"Yes actually, we were heading to our club room to eat lunch." Akeno replied, smiling at him with the smile that for some reason, Naruto associated with the picture of Anko when she was about to scare the life out of some poor soul. "We usually keep our things in there when we're at school."

The little girl perked up at their words, and removing her head from where it was burrowed, she looked at them with glistening blue puppy eyes. ''You have your own club. That's so Cool. What kind of club is it.''

Naruto was surprised that she had hid her stutter, but happy nonetheless. Maybe getting her to interact with other's wont be so hard.

"The Occult Research Club," Rias answered. "I'm actually the President of the club, while Akeno is my Vice-President." She said with another small smile, seeing the little girl open up to them was pleasing to both of the blonde's.

From Naruto's words it was clear she was hard to do so, so a little coaxing with her charm shouldn't hurt.

At Sara's confused look directed towards him, Naruto ruffled her hair with another warmhearted gesture and smile, making sure not to mess it up too much, just enough to show that it was also his job to embarrass her.

''Occult Research deals with the dark arts of the middle ages. You know, ghosts, dragons, werewolves, witches and things like that'' he had run across the word when first researching the notions of the Makai in this world. While he didn't know what happened, he could try to see if he could reach the Underworld and from there swing back to the Leaf.

He was one of the few humans usually welcomed there, being part kitsune. But there were risk to going there, one of them called Yasaka and he rarely ever did so.

"That's right, but we also deal with the more recent type of supernatural subjects. Such things like Devils, Angels and even Yokai." Rias added in an afterthought, and Naruto looked at her with some interest in that fact.

Even though he was human, he shared some genes with the Kitsune from his own world, and would have liked to find out what stories and legends along with folklore tales are there in this world considering that the Kitsune were a Yokai species here as well.

Amateurish internet surfing can get you only so far.

"That sounds kinda interesting." Naruto commented lightly, averting his eyes towards Sara who moved a little closer at the mention of ghost.

She had a fear of ghosts, similarly to what he had when he was a child. Of course, when you had a taskmaster mother, who could turn into an over 30 meter tall humongous fox, it is hard to keep such fears. He didn't see the small glint in Rias' eyes as she moved closer to him.

"So, do you believe in their existence?" Rias asked as she leaned forward a bit. Naruto's face reddened a bit, a strange tingling feeling went through for a second before shaking his head and clearing his thoughts before answering her question with an honest answer, that disguised his knowledge of their existence in the acknowledgment that he believed that they exist.

It was all part of misdirection the conversation into other angles, and playing around the sentences. Naruto was trained in the formal speeches first by Tsuko, and then by Tsunade due to the fact that the Godaime Hokage wanted him to take the hat, the mantle of the Fire Shadow.

Not something he wanted anymore.

He had lived through cold wars, fought in full-out, nation-wide wars and served as the Division General in the continent wide war that decimated the population of the Elemental Nations.

He had seen more death than one ever should, and had sent good people, people with hopes and dreams, young and old to their deaths in an order to keep the AUF forces at bay just a little longer.

Looking at her, directly in the eyes, making sure that his expression didn't show the seriousness, he answered with a small tugging of his lips upwards. "I guess I do believe in them. Aren't all legends, after all, based partly on the truth"

After all, when you have visions of your past life, along with this connections with nature, and the knowledge of the various demonic creatures that he came across in his home world, it was kinda hard **not** to believe that other things like that could exist. "… Sorry Rias-san, but can you take a step back? You're a little close."

That seemed to surprise Rias a little before she took a step back with blinking eyes, "…Oh sor-" she started to speak, but a cry of feminine furry drowned out her words.

"PERVERTS! GET BACK HERE AND RECEIVE YOUR PUNISHMENTS!" The four turned to the courtyard to see three male students being chased by the female kendo club, who were wearing towels that somehow didn't fall off as they swung their shinai like they were possed.

The image reminded him of Kara when she was on her periods.

The three boys rounded the corner and tried to escape, only for a few girls to already be there and capture the three before tying them up and pulling them away. Sara noticed that no one seemed to react as at all when this was happening.

"Soooo… Onii-chan. ...does that'' the little girl started, her finger pointing towards the Female Fury Kendo Squad ''..happen often?" The little girl who mas shielded from many things in this world, one big part of them being boys with a brother like Naruto, asked dubiously, her young mind having problems with understanding the scene before her eyes.

Naruto spoke up sagely as he and the girls watched the group disappear into one of the buildings.''Yes, little one. Sadly it does.''

He then swated her hand away causing her to pout at his next reprimand '' And don't point fingers at people. It isn't polite''

"Unfortunately, those three you saw there are known as the Perverted Trio." Akeno explained started to explain to the little girl, "Those three are the most perverted students in the school, so they end up in a lot of situations like this." At the end, her expression turned cheerful, especially when she saw the boy's receive a blow to their heads from the Kendo club captain's Shinai as he tried to escape.

"… I see…" the little girl mumbled with a sweatdrop, they had titles for perverts? She knew what perverts are, despite her Onii-chan's best efforts to keep her mind as innocent as possible, but really! Titles?

"… It must seem like a paradise for them I guess, being in a school almost full of female students." Naruto commented airily, not even feeling bothered as he witnessed a girl go for a Nut-crak kick. Most of the guys around there winced and their hands flew instinctively to their prized manhood's.

"Maybe so, and what about you Naruto-san?" Akeno asked, raising a hand to her mouth with a sly look on her face, trying to taunt the boy into her small verbal trap.

She just loved teasing boys, before leaving them with nothing to hold as she walked away. "You must be enjoying it as well, being in a school almost completely filled with gorgeous women."

"Well, I'll admit I would be lying if I said it wasn't nice. But I'm not really into peeping and stupid junk like that." Naruto said as he brought his hands up, crossing them over his chest, his face appearing deep in thought as he thought of the real reason why he didn't care for such anymore. "… We should probably finish up our lunch quickly, break should be ending soon."

Rias nodded her head in agreement, turning her head to look back at Akeno, before biding them a goodbye "Yes you'r right. Well I'll see you later Naruto-san, and it was nice meeting you Sara-chan."

Turning around on her feet, Rias gave Naruto and Sara a smile before starting to walk away, Akeno bowed her head a bit with a smile of her own as she followed after the red-head. They walked for about 4 feet, before Naruto's voice cut through the air.

"I told you before Rias-chan. I hate formalities. Just Naruto, no need for san. It makes me feel old." Naruto called out, making the girl look back at him, giving him a smile of acknowledgment, as usual when Naruto pointed it out.

Naruto grinned as he watched Rias and Akeno make their way to the old school building. Shaking his head a bit, the blond looked down as his sister. "Why don't we go eat, we only have a few minutes left."

"… Those two were really pretty, weren't they Onii-chan?" Sara asked her brother as the two made their way towards the trees.

"Yeah, they were…" Naruto nodded his head as he found a place under a tree and sat down, his back pressed against the bark. _'I wonder what that feeling before was… it felt vaguely like a genjutsu or a Yokai illusion.' _Naruto mulled it over.

Was it possible that the girl had some form of energy that she could use in such a manner. If she did, then why would she try to do such a thing. Naruto made no attempts at appearing like a threat to anyone, his training was always early in the morning and a secret, and he had squat in terms of power.

His thought however, were placed on the back holder as Sara sat down next to him, placing her bento on his lap and leaning her head on his shoulder. Naruto had another faint, sincere smile as the little girl munched on her rice.

Kara would have loved her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Play: **Brother Bear (Soundtrack) - On My Way (Croatian) **

After hearing the school bell rang, the students made their way either off campus or to their club rooms to do whatever they did there in their free-time. Naruto was waiting at the bottom steps for his adopted little sister to appear. After a few minutes she came down with a smile on her face, but she wasn't alone either, she was talking with another female student with long dark purple hair and hazel eyes.

'_So it looks like she's made a friend, I'm glad.' _Naruto thought to himself with a smile. It was a big relief to see the girl hang around people her own age. She rarely interacted with people she didn't know. She lost her big brother in an accident a few years ago and ever since then she was guarded and shy around others.

Sara took notice of her adopted big brother leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and a smile on his face and internally gave herself a pat on her back. She knew that her Onii-chan would be happy if he saw her talking along with another kid her age.

Onii-chan wanted to see her become friends with others her age group, and that would make him happy. The cute little blonde gave him a little wave before turning to her companion, "See you tomorrow Misao-san, it was nice meeting you!"

"Yes you too," Misao replied with a nod. "I hope you like enjoy coming here Sara-san."

Sara nodded her head with a happy expression before hurrying up to her brother, "Hey Onii-chan, did you wait long?" she asked as she started to walk towards the gates, making an effort to ignore everyone else.

Naruto pushed himself, removing himself from the wall with a small application of force in his back area as he started walking behind her, easily catching up with the smaller blonde and walking side by side.

"Not really," Naruto said to himself as his gaze traveled towards the sky, humming to himself a tune he remembered hearing as a child from Yasaka with his eyes closed. He cracked one eye open and directed it at Sara

"So it looks like you were able to make a friend." He inquired, ready to hear how her first day at Kuoh Academy went, and if he should make an ..appearance. He was an overprotective brother, so sue him.

Sara shook her head, "No she was just helping me out in class because it was my first day. I wouldn't call us friends." She looked down and saw that her shoe was untied, so she crouched down and went to tie her with her practiced hands.

She continued to talk while using her other leg as a surface to base her stance on "Her name is Ayamashi Misao, and she's our class representative so it's normal for her to help me."

"Well it's not like you're NOT going to be friends with her." Naruto commented as they walked side by side towards the gates, putting an emphasis on the not word. He discretely threw a glance towards the roof of the academy as he felt something...strange.

It reminded him of malevolent intent, but he couldn't have detected something like that at such a range. He wasn't a natural sensor, and he couldn't even emulate such a skill without chakra to mold. Shaking his head, he looked down at her. "All you have to do is have more confidence in yourself."

"But that's easier said than do" the little blonde girl complained, her shoulders slugging down as she already ran a couple of excuses through her head. Even if she wanted her Onii-chan happy, her stubbornness still prevailed over many things, and it decided to real its head in the moment.

A soft touch was pressed onto her left shoulder and she looked at it, and spotted a hand. Following the arm towards the source, she saw Naruto giving her a serious look, something he rarely did. ''Sara'' he began, this time not using the affectionate suffix, making her straighten her shoulders unconsciously at it's sounds.

The tone wasn't one her mother would use, it was almost commanding but not berating. There was something, something else in it. Of course, with little Sara being barely 12, she didn't know what it was.

The serious look then turned into another smile, and her Onii-chan's eyes' made an U shaped smile. As bizarre as it was, the words he said made her shut the thoughts away. ''I believe in you, okay Sara. You are a great girl, and can easily make friends. I want you to try, will you?'' As he spoke, he crouched down in front of her.

''Will my Imoto do that for her Onii-chan'' he asked in a gentle tone, his hand stroking her cheek, the hand gliding towards her shoulders and grasping them in a firm, but gentle hold.

She didn't say anything, simply opting to stare at him with slightly widened eyes and a slightly open mouth, nodding dumbly. Onii-chan believed in her. He really wanted her to make friends, and he thought she could make them easily.

''..O..Okay, Naruto-nii-chan'' she said finally, and Naruto tapped her nose, giving her another smile, before standing up.

''Let's go. Tokiwa-san said she will be back late, sometimes around 9. Sooo? Do you want ice cream?!'' Naruto asked as they stopped at a crossroad, waiting for the light to turn green so that they could pass.

Naruto didn't have to wait long for the smaller blonde girl to respond at the sentence, in a predictable fashion like any child could and would at the mention of ice-cream in a sentence, whatever they be human or Yokai, in his dimension or another. With a somewhat contained shout of joy the little girl hugged his much larger arm ''Yay. Ice cream. Onii-chan's the best!''

Naruto chuckled at her, his other hand going towards his wallet, which was relatively empty currently. He still had enough money to last his a few days, but if he went out to treat her, it won't last long.

The blonde assassin-turned student sighed softly. '_Yes, Onii-chan's the best_' an image of a similar girl with silver hair and violet eyes entered his mind. A memory he cherished, but sometimes wished to forget.

Several minutes later, they walked over the street and turned a corner, and the little blonde would have asked something, but a loud voice cut her off.

"HEY APOLOGIZE!" As they passed a corner, the two saw a regular street thug standing in front of a petite girl. She had white hair, with two long bangs going past her shoulders in the front and several loose bangs hanging over her forehead, while the back has a short bob cut and two black cat-shaped hair clips on each side of her hair.

She was wearing the Kuoh Academy girls' school uniform, but unlike his sister or Rias and Akeno, she didn't have the shoulder cape. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" The street thug, an unsiglty man in anyone's opinion shouted at her again. He stank of booze, and didn't seem all that straight as he glared at the girl.

In his right hand was a normal beige coloured baseball bat, making Naruto wonder if those were some kind of Street thug badge. Because he just bet a street gang a week ago who had the exact same bats when they tried to rob a store that he was in.

Idiot's, they thought their little wooden clubs could stand up to a man that could toe to toe with the likes of Raikage or Guy in a strength contest. Even without chakra, he was far above them, far more stronger than they could dream.

The girl didn't say anything as she looked down at the ground, where a crushed candy laid on the floor. "… You were the one who bumped into me." She gave the man a blank stare, "… And then you made me drop it." Her tone was flat and low, almost annoyed.

Naruto gave Sara a motion with his hand to stay put, as he moved closer towards the man, who seemed to be getting angrier and more aggressive, if the way his body moved was any indication.

Now while he usually prefered to stay out of such situations, trying to keep some kind of cover, he still wouldn't let some old drunks beat up on little kids.

"Why you little brat! You think you're better than me!" The thug shouted as he lifted the hand with the bat, ready to swing it down. The man tugged once, nothing. He tugged once more, and found the bat ripped from his hands.

He swirled around, rather pathetically slowly, and turned his breath towards the direction of Naruto's whiskered face. "What the-" he was caught of by a punch to the face that sent him careering to floor in a comical circle.

"Attacking someone who is unarmed, let alone a small kid…" Naruto started to speak as he applied pressure to the bat on both sides, but forcing the middle upwards. The thug quickly got up and shot a sneer in his direction. That brat got a lucky hit, that's all!

There was a small crack sounds, and both the thug's and Sara's eyes widened as they saw Naruto break the hard wooden bat like a piece of bamboo. The blonde threw the broken pieces towards a nearby trash can, his aim hitting true and entering the bin with ease even without taking a single glance towards it.

Ninja baby! Ninja.

Naruto quickly got in the man's face and pulled the thug closer with his left hand, grasping the leather black jacket with a firm grip. He raised his right hand and made a fist out of it. The next couple of moves happened faster than the thug could track, even if he wasn't partially drunk at the moment.

He punched the man in the gut once, making the man exhale sharply, before quickly raising the elbow of his right arm and ramming it hard into the man's stomach, raising the elbow upon contact to deliver a sharp blow to the thug's heart. The thug only had time to release some spit from his mouth before Naruto sent a kick at his supporting leg, making his fall onto his back, hard.

Naruto followed up with the momentum of his leg swipe and quickly rotated on his axis, before slamming a hard foot onto the man's chest, getting a yell of pain as a little blood came out of his mouth. "You're really pathetic, be glad I only bruised your organs and cracked a few ribs."

His first instinct was to kill the man, truthfully. All ANBU were taught to kill first, ask questions a few miles away in a combat situation. It was engraved into them, and once you got the instinct to take a man's life, it becomes a normal reaction

It was only due to Naruto's conciousness that the man was still alive. A shinobi isn't one to be ruled by emotions or instincts. A shinobi can turn them off in needed, but he will have to tame them. He or she then projects them accordingly to the situation they are presented with.

"D-Damn you…" The thug tried to speak out before he felt Naruto press harder into his chest. "W-Who the hell are you?"

"Me? I'm just a regular concerned student." Naruto replied with a smirk forming on his face, leaning down on his leg and moving his head closer to the thugs. "And as a student, I am supposed to watch out for my kōhai. Now… I suggest you leave before I do a lot worse to you. A few broken bones should keep you down for the count. " He lifted his foot of the thug and took a few steps back, crossing his arms over his chest, daring the man to try something.

This was the law of the street. Establish yourself as the dominant one, the alpha.

The thug slowly got to his feet, spitting out a few choice curses and he spat on the ground, a mixture of saliva and blood, his hand pressed onto his chest, holding it chest as he glared at Naruto, ''… You're going to pay for this." After that was said, the man ran away as fast as he could.

Naruto placed a hand in his pocket as he watched the man leave with a boreed look. "Yeah, not the first time I heard that one…?" He looked back at the white-haired girl, who stared blankly at him with hazel eyes.

"Um, are you okay?" Naruto asked in concern, taking note that the little girl didn't seem fazed in the slightest by the man's threat. Maybe she could have handled it herself. No matter.

"… Yes, I am fine." That was all she said before she looked towards the floor where her candy had fallen. Sara ran up to her brother and hand him his briefcase, which he absent-mindedly took with a small "Thanks".

Naruto blink a few times, following her gaze to the candy. Letting out a sigh, Naruto reached into his briefcase and pulled out a small box of pocky. Walking over to the girl he held it out to her, "Here, you can have this."

She turned back to him and saw the box in his hand, before looking back at his face.

"What? You lost your snack because of that guy and I doubt he'll get you a new one, so here." He nudged her hand with the box, the girl looking at the offered item curiously.

Looking back between Naruto and the box once more, the girl took the box, and gave him a small, polite bow of her head. "Thank you."

"No problem, I didn't want it anymore anyways." Naruto lied with a smile, he been planning on eating it later when he went out on a jog in the evening, but sometimes he was too nice.

Notably, it was most often to little cute creatures and girls. Maybe he had some kind of Big Brother complex.

"You're a student at Kuoh Academy as well, so it's fine. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, a third year. And this is my younger sister, Maseramu Sarra." His sister slowly nodded her head in greeting, for the first time not shying behind her brother at first greeting, Naruto noted with a pleased thought. Maybe his attempts were paying off.

"… Toujou Koneko… first year." The newly name Koneko replied, making Sara look at the girl in surprise. She was four years older than her but still looked so young. Sara was 12, with Naruto being 17, making 18 in a few weeks.

"Well it was nice meeting you Koneko," Naruto bowed his head a little before raising his head a bit. "But we have to get going, Ice cream awaits.'' He said a little louder for his sister's benefit who got an excited smile on her face.

''We'll see you later." Naruto bid her a goodbye as he held out his hand for Sara to take, the little girl quickly wrapping her arms around the much bigger forearm.

The white haired girl only stares at the blond and his sister started walking away, after a few seconds her eyes went to the box of pocky she was holding. She opened it and took out one of the pocky sticks before starting to eat it, pausing for a second. "…These are good." Koneko said to herself before she continued to eat more of them at a slightly faster pace as she started walking back towards the academy, through the gates and heading towards the old buildings.

As Naruto and his sister made their way down the path, two pairs of eyes were watching him from one of the roofs of the buildings. One pair of eyes belonged to Akeno, who had an amused look on her face and if you looked closely, a hint of lust.

She had her arms crossed under her breasts, a little shiver going through her body as she recalled the burst of speed and power Naruto used against the thug before sending him crashing into the ground. He was an interesting human. Just how strong would he be as a Devil.

"Fu Fu Fu, he was certainly vicious with that man, wasn't he." Akeno spoke up as she laughed in her hand. "I can see why you're so interested in him Buchou." She said as her head turned towards the red-head, missing the subtle shift of Naruto's head as he spotted the 2 devils, and the subsequent narrowing of azure eyes.

"True… and that quick finish was something I've never seen a normal person his age do before. It was almost as fast as Kiba, but was that really his true strength? He broke that piece of wood like nothing" Rias said with curiosity evident in her voice. She also didn't spot the turn of his head as her eyes turned from our blonde shinobi.

"And he is still able to break my and negate my charm magic, something I've never seen a human do." She commented the thought, making Akeno look at her with a raised eyebrow, somewhat ..surprised by that fact.

"You think Naruto-san is not human then? That he is some kind of supernatural creature?" she asked. She was also curious. The boy went with Rias into class for about a year or so, but they didn't find anything about him, other than his birthday and his age. Not even a proper address where he lived.

"I can't be sure, he doesn't seem to emit any sort of energy from him. Usually when it comes to sensing what a person is should be simple, since every being has a sort of presence to show what they are. Whether they are Angel, Fallen Angel, Devil, Yokai, Dragon, or even human, they all have a presence showing they're there. But with him it's different, it's as if he's not there." Rias explained as she placed her hands on the railing, thinking about earlier when he was standing in front of her, if she hadn't seen him the first time she probably wouldn't have noticed him.

''And that little girl is similar as well, but her readings were more along a human with what might be a Sacred Gear. He seems awfully protective of her'' she noted to herself, remembering the changes in his posture that she managed to observe while pretending that she didn't see or spot them earlier today.

An image flashed in her mind of his smiling face making a small blush form on her cheeks before continuing. "I have to admit though, Naruto-kun is definitely one of the most interesting people that I've ever met."

Akeno quickly noticed the blush on her friends face. "Oh my, is someone already starting to have a crush on Naruto-san? Oh what would people say if they found out that the famous Rias Gremory was developing feeling for a human." Akeno said as she smiled innocently at Rias, who has turned around by now and was leaning against the railing.

"Who knows? It's possible…" Rias gave her friend a small grin before looking back towards the spot where Naruto and his sister stood when the boy helped Koneko-chan. While the rate at which he moved wasn't all that fast when compared to speed-type demons, the speed of his punches was remarkably fast.

Even she had trouble catching the speed that he used when executing those punches. And even at this distance, it should have been clear for her to spot them with her eyesight.

"There's something about him that makes me want to learn more about him." The heir of the House of Gremory said, closing her eyes as a thought came to mind, "And maybe… He might just make a good addition…" she let her thought fly unrestrained, ignoring the growing smirk on her Queen's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(_Sometimes later_)- read late in the evening

.KNOCK.

Naruto removed his hand from where it tapped the door's to the Maseramu apartment, ignoring the little giggling girl in his arms that was cuddling her newest toy, a small fox plushie that he had won on a small game of tossing a ball and trying to knock down the stacked targets.

Easy for a shinobi. That's why they are forbidden from doing so. Some owners even buy special seals that measure chakra reserves in order to keep shinobi away from the easy pickings.

As he heard faint footsteps approaching the doors, he looked at the girl, and pulled out a handkerchief that he then proceeded to use in order to wipe away the small amount of vanilla that pudged itself on his little sister's face.

The little girl simply closed her eyes and allowed her Onii-chan to wipe it away, before snuggling into his embrace with a sleepy expression.

''Onii-chan...'' the girl mumbled as her eyes dropped, exhausted from a whole day of excitement. ''luv..you..'' The little girl's lips parted, and the sentence came out of the practically sleepwalking girl.

Naruto looked at her in a moment of awkwardness, rarely having heard those words, even if they were hard to understand, seeing as her mouth was practically talking into his shoulder with half formed words.

In his life, only two other people actually said something similar like tha, and the blonde assassin didn't know how to process those words exactly. One of the was from his mother, and the other from his lover.

The blonde shook his head and patted the sleepy girl on the head, with a pained smile on his face. Why did he have such a bad feeling in his gut right now.

A few moments later, the doors opened and Tokiwa took in the form of her blonde haired, whisker carrying birth marks neighbour, and her sleeping charge resting on his shoulder.

She smiled at the picture. It was easy for her to see that the both blonde's were happy with the position they were in.

''Good evening, Tokiwa-san.'' Naruto greeted in a slightly hushed voice, making a great effort not to wake up Sara as he walked through the doors and headed for the girl's room.

''Good evening Naruto-kun'' Tokiwa closed the doors behind, greeting Naruto in the process as she did so. She then followed after him as he maneuvered arround the apartment with practiced ease- ''How was your evening'' she asked curiously.

She hated to rely on Naruto to keep Sara's company, but the boy was a good relief for her troubles. And he did a very good job of raising her little girl.

Naruto turned right and found himself in Sara's room. It was a normal, if a little tomboyish room for a girl, with light blue walls and a poster of Nickleback band on the wall, right by the large, US navy fleet consisting of a carrier and a destroyer escort by a blue coloured locker cabinet. Okay, maybe it was a more that a little tomboyish.

''Good, good. Went around the town, played some games, went into the park. The usuall''

The shinobi placed the girl on the bed gently, observing as the girl's hold on the fox plushie tightened as he slid the covers over her. Standing up, he walked towards Tokiwa, who moved out of his way so that he could exit the room, closing it behind gently without a sound.

'' As promised Tokiwa-san. One cute little Sara, ready for sleep'' He joked at her, electing a giggle from the tall woman, who covered her mouth with her palm. Naruto looked around the hallway they were in for a moment, spotting a picture that showed a family of tree, one woman, one girl and one boy, smiling at each other.

He frowned internally as he looked at the closed doors. '_Am I trying to take Shaku's place_' Shaku was the name of Sara's older, currently deceased brother.

Naruto shook his head as he cleared such thought out of his mind. They were generally not healthy and and not recommended for someone who wanted to keep a sane and guilt free mind. ''Well, goodnight Tokiwa-san. It was a pleasure taking care of Sara. She made a couple of friends at school, you know'' he told her as his lips quirked upwards, his left arm crossed over his chest and his right hand scratching his beard free chin.

As he moved to walk towards the exit, Tokiwa placed a hand over his shoulder. She glanced towards his wallet, which was sticking partially out of his pant pocket, and asked. ''Tell me Naruto-san. How much did you spend'' the woman asked in a serious voice.

Naruto's reaction to her question was to quickly use a finger and push the wallet further inwards. Naruto really didn't want her to concern herself with such trivialities.

He waved her concern's off, trying to keep any sign of a lie of his face. ''It wasn't much Tokiwa-san. Don't worry. It was a pleasure for me to threat my cute little Imoto'' he told her and gently tried to twist himself out of the woman's hold.

He failed at it, and appraisingly noted that she had quite a grip when she wanted to. If he was a normal human, he was sure that would have hurt and made him wince. Allas he was not normal. ''Naruto-san'' the woman whispered out, her expression showing that she was not entertained by his attempts to sweep the conversation away like a speck of dust.

Naruto would have denied her again, but thought of it. For as long as he knew her, the woman was even more stubborn than he was, a feat hard to reproduce. If she was set on something, she didn't let it go until she deemed in not important anymore or she got what she wanted in the first place.

If she had grey hair and a nastier tongue, she would have been the perfect replica of Kara.

With a sigh Naruto relented. ''5023 yen'' he told her with a straight face, this time moving his hand up and forcefully removing the woman's grip of his shoulder. ''And as I said. It was a pleasure. The little girl needs some happiness. Maybe you should spend more time with her''

Naruto countered her attempts by attempting to place some kind of guilty response with her thought process. An underhanded tactic which he wasn't all that happy at doing, but it was better than forcing the woman to part with her money, and maybe she would listen to him...

And Naruto wanted to slap himself. ''Listen Tokiwa-san. I..I didn't mea-'' Naruto started to apologise, having momentarily forgotten how big a help the woman was to him.

Naruto in general didn't receive much help or kindness from others, either because he rarely showed that he needed it, or because most people thought he could deal with everything on his own.

So even small things measured highly in his books. Maseramu Tokiwa helped him when he had no idea what was he supposed to do, teaching him about the world and his surroundings. He was literally lost when he appeared in this world. His love was dead, and Madara still wasn't dead, even BEHEADED.

Now that Naruto was more adjusted to the life in this world, he often wondered why she didn't ever seem to ask how didn't he know any of those things. It was as if something like that, a person with questionable history, and obviously excessive military training, appearing out of nowhere with no idea what to make of the world, no way to identify the head or tails in this more civilised world, like something like that, someone like that appearing wasn't something special.

Tokiwa wasn't really hurt by the remark, already having labeled Naruto as someone who would try anything he could to keep people from having to overexert themselves in their attempts to help him.

While it was true that she rarely spent time with Sara, she knew not to take the statement to the heart, not in the way that most people would, at least.

''It's okay Naruto-san. I know. Would you, just...please take the money as a form of payment for all your help. You've been immensely helpful over the last year'' the woman spoke, and her hand moved to close Naruto's mouth with a barely audible click. The younger blonde in the room grumbled, but in the end gave up, and allowed the woman to pay him back.

''You don't have to pay me Tokiwa-san. You know that'' Naruto told her over his shoulder as he stepped outside the apartment, his body facing the direction of the stairs. Tokiwa's apartment was on the ground floor, the door's facing the street.

The older woman smiled at the young assassin. ''I know'' with those parting words, she closed the door's to the apartment, leaving Naruto out in the street, standing under a street light.

Naruto exhaled a deep, troubled sigh, placing the wallet back into his pocket, and started moving towards the stairs, when he suddenly stopped in his track, and his head snapped towards the roof of a nearby building.

He could see a faint shimmer in the air, like the circular waves parting from the center that formed on the water when you dropped a rock in the liquid. His eyes spotted a feather floating downwards, onto the street.

A strong gust of wind picked up, and sent the feather into the Sage's/Assassins hand, who snatched it out of the air with his left hand.

'_A black feather. A crow of some kind. No, it's far too large to be something. And this colour. No birds within these parts has feathers this dark.'_ Naruto thought as he observed the feather in his hand. He placed it into his pocket and started to walk up the stairs, towards his second floor apartment.

All the while, he had a gut wrenching feeling, his heart telling him, a soft, dark chuckle, an audible whisper in his ear. He could sense that his relatively peaceful lifestyle will soon change, and not for the better.


	2. Perturbing Predicaments

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. How can this be. Kishimoto give me back my knucklehead ninja. I'll sue you if you don't. You'll see, you'll see, i will show you all. And them maybe hopefully I will take Issei's place and be immersed in a sea of oppais.

**Author's Notes: **

Revised on 4.5.2014.

* * *

**Play – Sakura Sakura- Rin' **

Slowly like it was waking up from an eternal slumber, one pair of azure blue eyes cracked open in the darkness. The cobalt blues were a shade of frosty coldness comparable to the snowy wastes of Tetsu no Kuni. The owner of such pair of eyes was appearing to be indifferent to anything outside his own mental realm.

The pair quickly shot over to one side of the room in which he slumbered to glance at the clock which was ticking along in it's own little corner of the cube. Of course it was 5:40 am. As it always did, his rising from the realm of dreams happened at the same time. Every day and every night, no matter how much sleep he had, he would always wake up at the same time.

The cobalt blues softened ever so slowly as the lost shinobi gripped the sheets of his bed like they were his life-line, the only anchor in the realm of insanity that he was emersed into every month at least once.

'_It was just a dream Naruto, just a dream. Breath slowly...in and out...in and out'_ The dream was just that, a dream, a figment of his imagination that he was cursed with from the day he was born. His breathing slacked down as he realised that he was still lost in this world, all alone with nobody he cared for present.

Well he was relatively alone from what he could conclude, if those two round lumps in the dark represented Hidan's and Madara's heads. An overwhelming urge to torture the Uchiha clan Head rose up in his chest, the need of revenge tantalising as it clawed at his spirit like a caged beast that it was.

But no, he could not become a monster like that, he had already slipped once and the result was the disastrous landing in this world far away from Konoha, from his friends and subordinates.

What was exactly this curse. It was something which would often reel it's unsightly appearance, torturing his psyche. Waking up at the nick of dawn was a refreshment as far as Uzumaki Naruto was concerned.

But was it Uzumaki Naruto that woke up in that moment, or was it the person who had defied the primal God.

He was accustomed to waking up much, much earlier than the dawn rose on the horizon, signalling the start of a new day. The full moon was shining brightly in the night sky, basking the Earth with the moonlight, reflecting the sun's shine upon the Earth from the heavens above them.

The blonde haired ninja shivered from both the cold air and his own dismay as he tried his hardest to push the memories of the dream behind him, far under the most intricate of mental blocks, lest he lose his grip on reality.

His body sweating as the ice cold breeze belonging to the mountain winds made his body tremble, the the temperature dropping several degrees in the atmosphere arround him. If you had looked into them, you would have seen that Naruto's eyes held an amount of terror that no one from his own world would ever had believed possible, all bar one person, one woman. His best friend, his rival, confidant and lover who was dead and gone. Unreachable even with his Rinnegan or the ability to use the Edo Tensei.

Of, how Naruto hated those dreams with a passion burning brighter than a thousand suns. There were several reasons for his utter despising of them, reasons that disturbed the young man greatly.

They made him experience such fear and dread, making him feel terrified like when he was that small, little and weak child that no-one wanted to take care off. He would witness such act's of power, displays of strength in front of his eyes, enough power to shatter the landscapes without even meaning to do it.

The strength to destroy the world under their feet shouldn't be possible to do, and yet, he would have a front row seat to watch it every month.

The Primal Yokai God was a terrifying force that shouldn't belong in the natural wrold. With it's monstruous chakra it was the creator, shapper and destroyer of worlds.

And Madara wanted to free it from its stellar prison in order to try and control such a monster. What a fool he was. He must have taken one to many blows in the fight against the Shodaime at the Valley of the End.

Another reason he hated the dreams was because of what they represented deep down.

Memories of a past life, the life of the legend of the shinobi world. With every dream he had, he began to question his existence more and more, creating an unstable psyche that lied deep down.

Who was he. Was he Uzumaki Naruto, son of Yasaka, the Child of Prophecy, a Ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and the master of Sennin Modo.

Or was he Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the first Sage of the Six Paths , the founder of ninja-arts and creator of the ninja world. The son of the Princess Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the first human to be born with the ability to manipulate chakra.

Was he the man that singlehandedly defeated the primal God, and sealed the creature within the moon. Or was he something in between.

He honestly didn't know, and that made him scared beyond measure, more scared than anything in his life.

It was an identity crisis at it's finest, or at it's worth, depending on your point of view, with flashes of the previous life coming to him within his dreams once every month. It didn't help that he was woken in this world a confused and broken man, a lost soul with nothing to live for.

Thankfully, he didn't remember all that much of the Sage's life in these dreams as most of them revolved around the Sage's quest to defeat the mighty demon, but there were still other memories which bleed into them.

The blonde haired assassin growled to himself when he finally managed to get a grip on reality. Of how he hated the fact that he was so weak-willed, forced to think about such things that didn't concern him as Uzumaki Naruto.

He wasn't a philosopher damn it.

He might have completed Sage training, but that didn't mean he liked taking a huge retrospect about the issue of his own existence into account. He was actually glad that he slept less than normal, because that meant that the dreams will be shorter. A silver lining in his situation.

Usually, when a person, an individual has a certain sleep disorder, these individuals with different natural sleep patterns may come out as lazy or unmotivated when it is a much different matter for a person with a longer or delayed sleep cycle to get up earlier in the morning than for a person with an advanced sleep cycle.

In effect, the person accustomed to a later wake time is being asked not to wake up an hour early but 3–4 hours early, while waking up normally may already be an unrecognized challenge imposed by the environment. These bodily and brain actions and functions can ba attributed to the biological daily clock that runs our bodies. It is formed as the person goes through life, depending on how they acted in youth about sleeping. If they became accustomed to waking up early, then there wouldn't be much problem with the situation. If they didn't get used to it, whether preferring to sleep in, or their body failing to adapt to the situation, then they would have problems with getting up before their allocated time.

The bias toward early morning can also adversely affect adolescents in particular. Teenagers tend to require at least 9 full hours of sleep each night, and changes to the endocrine system during puberty shift the natural wake time later in the morning. Enforcing early start times, despite this can have negative effects on mood, grades, and social skills, si it is best to let the nature take it's course sometimes.

Naruto liked dreamless nights, and he prefered waking up early than having to sit through and watch, observe and remember a whole other lifetime of memories, memories which he instinctively knew what represented, but didn't have a logical reason beyond a few words spoke to him in the Temple of Creation by an old, blind monk who was a lot of screws loose.

Hearing that you were the reincarnation of a man many considered on par with a god was... hard enough to swallow. Discerning, Naruto had managed to place the whole thing under the carpet at the time.

Because back then, he knew who he was. He was Uzumaki Naruto, a name he was born with and a surname which he cherished at the time, if only because his mother didn't have one. To him it was similar to passing down a mantle, from the first Rikkudo Sennin to him.

It was easy to deal with, well as easy as it was for a man which already carried some sort of prophecy. Naruto rarely placed much thought in prophecies, believing that a man sows his own fate, but for the sake of the ninja world, so that there could be peace one day, he listened and went along with it.

But this. This was terrifying, chilling to the bone. He was not supposed to carry the Sage's memories within himself, as they felt wrong, deep down they felt like they didn't belong with him.

And they didn't. That was the problem.

It felt like they were trying to change who he was. He much prefered the existence of Uzumaki Naruto than that of Rikkudo Sennin, who seemed to have made many mistakes in his life, even with all of his legendary wisdom that he was hailed for.

The cobalt blue eyes darted towards the clock hanging on the wall at the other side of the room, confirming once again, to the poor soul that knew not what to think. That he, that the man... that Naruto Uzumaki woke up at 5:40.

The young man with too many failures on his shoulder rolled his body to the side so that he was no facing the wall. In such a position that he was now in, his back was turned towards his traveling companions.

The covers, light as they were, didn't offer much protection from the sudden cold that seeped into the room. He closed his eyes, in an attempt to try and squeeze another additional ounce of rest and sleep into his morning routine, before he was forced to get up, be it because of his will, or the only thing keeping his sanity in check.

He stared at a small symbol etched into the wood, a figure which represented the insignia of the Konohagakure no Sato, his home. A few seconds later, the 17 year old soldier closed his eyes once more, the eyelids shutting the optical organ from the world, the man honestly not caring enough to try and get up, to go over his morning routine anymore.

Naruto was tired, emotionally and psychologically famished. The shinobi just wanted a few minutes of peace, the few minutes that would allow his plagued mind to rest in the dead of silence and clarity.

There was no need for him to train in order to save the world from a madman, no need to get up in the dead of night and run off to the frontline to support his troops on the field of battle.

No need to worry if his mother will be safe or if the Akatsuki have managed to capture her and had extracted her soul along with her power. The Jubi was a monster of pure power, it's revival requiring the strongest of demons to fulfill. What was the Sage thinking when he created the Gedo Mazo statue, why allow such a beast to reappear.

There was no need to worry about his identity, no need to worry, whatever or not his next action will affect the whole ninja world, be it good or bad. A decision which would affect every living creature in existence in the end, human or demon, good or evil.

No need to worry about possible assassins, no need to worry wherever or not he will wake up to find his home a large crater in the ground, or not one day. Just a moment of mere silence, without the weight the world and the conscience of his actions on his shoulder.

Is that, really too much to ask?

''Oya fucker. Wake up, or I'll bite your toes''...and as usual with their established, if reluctant morning routine, the standard procedure for Hidan is to curse at something as soon as he opened his eyes.

This action would, inevitably force the blond Shinobi-no-more to get up from the comfortable and pleasant confines of his not-so-soft bed, less there be another verbal fight between the 2 animated, debodied heads, autonomous parts of the human anatomy.

Yes, because apparently, it is too much to ask.

''Hidan. Shut up, and go to sleep.'' Another voice cut in from behind, and Naruto, still under the covers, felt like he should be sighing warily. He had already developed an automatic reflex to their bickering.

Tune them out!

If the situation was any different, if he didn't have all of that on his plate, he most likely would have burrowed his face under the pillow and tried to ignore the world. Allas it was not, and that escape was out of his reach.

Sometimes, okay, reasonably always, the situation was just that much too ironic, so much, that he wanted too weep because of childishness and the whole prospect of the occurences that he found himself in, that they found themselves in.

Currently, in the mornings, he felt like an old man with a pair of bratty kids who wanted to play with the same toy at the same time, but couldn't share between them.

Scratch that. He most likely felt like what Kakashi-sensei felt whenever he spent time around the dysfunctional ninja cell that was the Team 7. It must be like that, and probably is. Yes. That must be how the grey haired man felt.

Uzumaki Naruto had, all of a sudden a rather illuminating discovery, and found out that his respect for Hatake Kakashi rose up a couple of notches on the scale. Especially if he had to deal with something like this every day.

Naruto was placed on cell 7 because the Sandaime wanted him to interact with kids his age a little more, and there was an empty spot on the team with the sole Uchiha survivor. He had spent 6 months on that team before it was destroyed by the Oto-Suna invasion and the following war that ransacked the southern Elemental Nations.

''Let me repeat myself, in case you forgot. Screw off, Uchiha''

''I heard you well before you mongrel.''

''Well in that case you are either dumb or deff''

''Hnn..that doesn't even make sense''

''Oh yeah. Well I'll show you. Come here bastard''

''Hnn''

Turning around in the bed, Naruto had the front row seat of witnessing the cussing between 2 beheaded shinobi, and despite his previous thoughts, the picture managed to lift his spirits. S small smile spread over his face as he listened to the antics of his former enemies.

Maybe his identity problem can wait.

He supposed he could have simply crushed them under his feet when he woke up in this new world. It would have been the ultimate bitch slap, the greatest of humiliations for Madara to face, to be squashed like a bug under a boot, like an insignificant insect, a small speck of blood in the otherwise normal day.

But those two were all he had left, and once you looked past all the differences and glaring opposites, they weren't all that bad. And none of them still knew how they ended up in this world.

So, until they managed to remember how, or why they ended up in this world, Naruto would most likely keep them around. As his lips quirked in amusement, the blonde shinobi stood up, picking up a T-shirt from the floor and putting it on along his way.

He walked towards the window and leaned outside of it, gazing at the stars up above. It was magnificent how much humanity has accomplished with the usage of technology in this world. Steeping on the moon, sending out deep space probes, taking pictures, some of them in pretty decent detail, of planets hundreds of light years away.

Medicine, transport, media. The ability to create colossal buildings that tear into the clouds, the likes of which could only be compared with the monstrosities seen within Ame, and even those didn't hold a candle to some of this worlds creations.

Media, through media and communications technology, has helped to connect diverse people from far and near geographical location, giving the ability to talk with a person on the other side of the world in real time to almost anyone.

The access to information is on the tip of your fingers, and everything was connected in a way that allows a person to interact with the equipment to make their life easier.

Medicine, the field of applied science related to the art of healing by diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Since people in this world lack chakra, they have found ways around it, utilizing anything from simple herbs, to complex chemical formulas. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness in human beings.

Contemporary medicine applies health science, biomedical research, genetics and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease, typically through medication or surgery, but also through therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external splints &amp; traction, prostheses, biologics, pharmaceutials, ionizing radiation among others.

All of these concepts are considered normal, and help save lives daily, or simply help in the betterment of humanity. Even Madara, who through his later years began to research medicine greatly, with his total knowledge somehow surpassing Tsunade's, had to admit that this world had many, many creations and advancements that would have never been considered in the Elemental Nations.

Then there was the **International Space Station** (**ISS**), an entire complex, a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. It represents one of the endeavours of this world's main and leading governments to promote international coöperation, and mutual assistance.

But even with all the advancements humanity in this world has obtained, the world was still just a bigger mess. In the Elemental Nations, you would have be travel all over the place to try and find poverty, as it was rare to be poor besides in the war torn times. Even with all the destruction, the people always had something, even if it was bare minimum to live and work with.

This world wasn't like that. Entire continents, it's people starving as they don't have anything to eat. The governments bicker with each other over small disputes, over money and over religion, while the world slowly dies away, be it the life of nature, or life of humans.

It truly was just a bigger mess than home, Naruto thought with a sigh as he ran a hand thought his hair. He turned around so that his back was facing the outside world and leaned onto the interior sill. Locking into the darkness, his cobalt blue eyes found the 2 heads which were still trading verbal remarks at a rapid pace.

Naruto decided to break their little love spat and to grab their attention. ''Madara''

The two Akatsuki paused and concentrated their focus on their former foe. Hidan didn't care all that much who he fought as long as he killed for his god while Madara loved the challange he had offered him in the war.

''Remind me, what did you think of the shinobi world.'' Naruto inquired while hiding his curiosity, not wanting to give his grandfather the pleasure of knowing that he had almost considered the benefits of the Tsuki no Me.

Kara's death had hit him much harder then he could have expected, and she was the one that always managed to straighten him out. Naruto turned his head to the side, one eye peering into the nightly darkness as he spotted the Academy that he went to off in the distance.

''What was the point of it all.'' He asked, not getting a response yet.

''The point of what'' Madara asked, but he could guess what was his descendant thinking. He had learned off his memories and was gleeful, knowing that they were changing his outlook on life ever so slowly to fitt his needs.

''Why all the wars.'' Naruto again asked, tone flat and emotionless. He was enjoying the wind now that he wasn't trembling under it's touch.

''It's the human nature to fight'' Madara responded simply

''Couldn't everyone simply unite, and look past their differences. Why fight when we can live peacefully'' Naruto asked solemnly, his voice a little lost. It had always pained the blonde to think of the destruction caused by war, and every time he looked at the news, he saw the same.

Ukraine, Egypt, Middle East, North Korea, Africa, Southern America. War, famine, destruction, conflict. Even in the world ruled by peace there was war. Hopelessness on the people's faces as they lived an existence which was filled with negatives.

Slavery, drug and human organ trafficking. World wars with the death tolls in the tens of millions.

Madara's dark, charcoal black eyes pierced through the darkness as the man looked at the half of the boy's face who was always messing up his plans. The younger Uchiha leaned his head onto the window frame, the wind blowing few blonde bangs in front of Naruto's face in a moment of solemn silence.

The young boy patiently waited for the elderly Uchiha to answer, as the oldest soul in the room mulled it over and thought of delivering the best possible answer which would either make the boy embrace his beliefs, or come to see the world as it was, a cursed existence.

As a child, Madara was kind, confident, competitive, and wanted to perfect everything he did. He was prone to angry outbursts when he got annoyed. Despite this, he was apologetic and highly sensitive to his surroundings. Due to the harsh nature of the times they lived in, Madara believed that the only way to survive in the shinobi world was to make allies with your enemies, an ideal shared by his rival, whom eventually became his close friend and ally. Madara and Hashirama came to care about each other over their own clans going as far as to purposely leak information to each other about a trap their respective clans laid out.

Madara also possessed tremendous love for his younger brother Izuna. As his other three brothers died in battle with the Senju clan, Madara became highly protective of Izuna, becoming very close to him. After Izuna's death from the constant battles between the Uchiha and Senju clans, Madara became bitter and vengeful toward the Senju, wanting to protect the Uchiha clan from the possibility of oppression by the Senju.

After using his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to further decipher the Uchiha Stone Monument, Madara felt hopeless, because he came to believe humans were cursed to fight each other. After learning this Madara claimed that he set the Eye of the Moon Plan in motion to save humanity from its curse. Madara's believes the reality as worthless, noticing that in this world someone always must be the "loser" for there to be a "winner".

Looking pointedly at Naruto, even thought the latter wasn't looking back, Madara spoke in his most earnest voice possible "Hashirama's country was a shameful contradiction… Man seeks peace, yet at the same time yearning for war… Those are the two realms belonging solely to man.''

''Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something only humans can do. They're two sides of the same coin. To protect something… another must be sacrificed.'' Madara made a pause in his speech at this point, trying to eloucate his thoughts in the best way. The halt prompted Naruto to look at him, to see why did he cease to speak.

''That is, other than that of, say a dream world." Madara told him with all the seriousness he could muster, and had a staring contests with Naruto. Hidan was observing the 2 with scrutiny that betrayed his usual madness.

After a while Naruto finally broke the horse silence between him and his grandfather by snorting quite loudly, and folding his arms over his chest. He looked back through the window towards the dark blue sky once more. ''Right. And in this dream world, where we are the gods. No one would have free will.'' This was the catch. You would be unaware.

Naruto, during the one year he was trapped often wondered how would it be to just give in to the dreams. Kara's death, even if caused by Madara took a huge toll on his own will. How would he have lived with Kara in a world without war's and conflicts.

To have a nice family, not having to worry if your child could die on a mission in some ditch on the other side of the continent. Even if he knew that it would have been simply a dream, he had often wondered of that during the war. But whenever he got close to losing all hope, his Kara was always there to set him right.

The girl loved to battle, she loved the thrill of death. But that was because she saw humanity as a flawed species and took pleasure in removing the trash of 'monkey's as she called them.

But even with all of that, when Naruto finally reached the end of his efforts, when he no longer knew what to do, he had asked her the questions he didn't have an answer to. Even back then, the Curse of Hatred lingered underneath his cheerful personality that was lost to the woes of war.

* * *

**Play:** Lifehouse- Between the Raindrops (feat.) Natasha Bedingfield

_Flashback_

_It was the second week of non-stop raining. Rain, rain and some more rain, that was the weather forecast for the ensuing weeks. To some people, it appeared as if the heavens themselves were weeping for the torn lands that the people were fighting over. _

_Kiri was already destroyed earlier this year by the Akatsuki Unified Front forces, an alliance of Ame and every other minor village who had grown tired of the supremacy held by the Great Hidden Villages._

_The flaps of a makeshift medical tent flapped and tlapped open as a man wearing miniscully torn navy blue coloured Konoha uniform, along with a modified and unzipped flak jacket exited the medical station through the front entrance, wearing a resigned face as he did so._

_He didn't even bother to return the salute of the shinobi on guard that were currently keeping watch over the base. His feet touched the wooden Mokuton plates that were used to form a stable platform for the buildings in the base._

_He didn't bother to shield himself from the rain either with the use of a jutsu, rather letting the tears of the sky drench him in mourning. The last squad to come back from the border patrol was nearly decimated, with only the two youngest members making it back with critical injuries._

_They both have died even with the Godaime Hokage's apprentice trying her best to save them. The pink haired kunoichi had just handed him the autopsy report from the bodies, saying she had found traces of Tenzo's Mokuton chakra in them._

_In short, White Zetsu clones have appeared once more._

_The two to have just died were barely 12 years old, one of them a newly minted chunin. It was supposed to be an easy mission, that's why he had given it to the squad with the rookies. To guard the southern border of Gamma Sector, which is their most fortified zone in all of the Elemental Nations._

_Apparently, AUF decided to make a push. Two defensive forts and nearly a thousand shinobi, dead at the feat of the rampaging Shodaime clones. _

_He brushed past the ANBU member that had just appearend in front of him with a silent whirl of leaves and handed him another scroll with the orders from Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Those would most likely just want to make him tear the Raikage a new one._

_He didn't have the strength to walk arround with the required air of authority that he once wore at the start of this Great War. The weight of command had taken a heavy toll on his spirit and it was only getting worse as time went on. _

_Finally after several long minutes, he had managed to drag his ass to his command post, a three story Mokuton Building, created by Tenzo a few months ago. Now the man was MIA, and the White Zetsu's were radiating his Wood Release chakra._

_His room was located on the top floor, a nice 7x7 meters room with a decent bed and some furniture. He even had a real shower._

_What a waste, in Naruto's opinion. He entered the building and hurried up to his room. For once, he would like some good news from the warzones. He passed by a downtrotten Nara Shikamaru and moved upwards._

_He had taken the lazy chunin under his command becouse he needed a sharp mind. He wasn't entirely sure what were the Kage's smoking when they put him as a General of an entire Division. Ah sure he had some good plans in the last war, but he was much better at creating them on the fly, improvising and adapting._

_So he took the smartest guy he could find, and as luck would have it, it was the only genin that he went along with after the fiasco that was the Oto-Suna invasion and the following war._

_Entering his room, he threw the scroll with orders in the far corner where he usually threw those parchments of text out of frustration before he sat down and read them. Moving towards the center of the room, he collapsed onto the couch that allowed him to look over HIS base._

_A feat accomplished by giving his chakra to Tenzo, he had built the entire building base, structures and constructed a thick, 4 meter wall that hugged the base. The wall was also used as a base for the newest seal that the Fuinjutsu team had created a month ago, when the number of bases lost to meteors, METEORS became too large to swallow._

_Now anything appearing above the base would get shredded with a rasengan-esque barrier, and if that wasn't enough than it would get burned by the Violet Formation Dome Barrier. The downsize was in the chakra requirement to keep the base safe._

_6 Jōnin with larger than normal reserves were required to run the powerful piece of art, meaning 6 less élite Jōnin that could be fighting on the frontlines. Naruto brought his hands in front of his head and buried his face in them._

_''What can I do anymore?'' He cried out in a defeated tone. His base was the second closest to Amegakure no Sato, the center of the enemy forces and the place where you could almost always find Madara planning, utilising all of his experience to defeat them._

_The AUF still thought he was a _Jinchūriki_. Everyone thought he was a _Jinchūriki_. But Madara wanted to take over the land completely before bringing his plan to action._

_A pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders, and he felt his lover press her perfectly endowed chest up to him. Not to small, not to big. Just the right sizes, as she often worded herself._

_''What's the matter fishcake'' the comfortable voice of his grey haired ANBU teammate was enough to bring Naruto out of his thoughts. Turning his head to the side, he gave her a peck on her cheek, which she immediately turned into a full kiss that lasted for an entire minute._

_As the two separated, she vaulted over the couch to sit into his lap, wearing her usuall saucy and teasing smile. It made her look increadibly hot and sexy ''Did you miss me'' Unlike usually, her voice is not cold or distant, nor is it her excited tone when she prepares to fight against someone strong._

_This war had managed to mellow her out more than she would have admitted, Naruto was sure of it. Her eyes were just that much softer and held just a little more warmth. He was the only one that got to see this side of her, and he had no doubt that he would be in a world of pain if he told anyone._

_She spent too much time with Anko._

_He looked her over, taking in the sight of her modified uniform. __A tight black leather top that hugged her body and acquainted her assets, black short and stockings, with standard foreguards and a pair of belts that crossed over her stomach. She still wore the black cloak that most ANBU were equiped with when not in direct combat. Her long grey hair wasn't tied into a ponytail like normally, but fell down the sides of her face. Her narrow gray eyes were looking at him like he was a piece of meat but she had barely noticable bags under her eyes._

_She was most likely exhausted. Besides himself, she was the most skilled and powerful ninja in this base so she was often in the field._

_Naruto tried to give her his best grin, one that she commented to love the most about his looks, but it was a far shot from his normal grin. ''Yeah, I did''_

_Try as he might, he couldn't keep his own exhaustion out of his voice._

_Her eyes narrowed further as she looked at him. Naruto didn't do anything besides resting his head against the crook of her neck. She allowed him to rest there, humming a light tune to herself that sent vibrations through her body._

_''__How did it go?'' there was an audible coarseness in his question. Naruto feared what might have happened on the field. He was used to going out to fight, but he had to stay at the base to oversee the newest reinforcements and give them their orders._

_He could feel her fingers going through his hair, playing with the golden locks as she hugged him closer._

_''__It went fine, all things considered. Tatsuki lost an eye to a Taki Ninja, but nothing else.''_

_''...T__hat's good'' Naruto nodded. That was fine. More then fine. That was the single best news of the entire month. No casualties on a mission is like an early Christmas for him. Eyes and limbs could be replaces, lives could not._

_''__What's bothering you Naruto?'' her voice turned harsh and demanding, making him wince. She had no qualms in destroying someone, whatever physically or mentally when she wanted to know something, and she would most likely run him a new one if he turned into whinny brat._

_''__The Final Valley Line was destroyed'' he admitted in a tired voice, not even bothering to hide just how hopeless he felt anymore. She didn't do much, but he could feel her nod at his words._

_''__I thought I heard something about the southern defense line when I walked here.'' _

_''__What can I do Karasuba. Kirigakure no Sato is gone, Sunagakure no Sato is about to fall and Iwagakure is a wasteland.'' he asked desperatly searching for guidance._

_She shrugged and continued to run her fingers through his hair ''Fight. Resist. Win. What else can you do?''_

_''__Is..is it even worth it anymore. Should we just allow Madara to win'' he wasn't proud to admit it, but he was losing all hope and sometimes just wanted to say 'fuck it' and give in. She sudenly stoped with her ministrations._

_He was desperate to know the answer, because he was contacted by the man. Somehow he had known that Naruto no longer carried the Kyuubi. In the mixture of verbal taunts and sneers, he had mentioned that he didn't need a Kyuubi to finish his plan. Just a Kitsune Yokai. _

_Naruto had traces of Kitsune chakra, and he could be used as a catalyst._

''_I..don't know the answer to that question Naruto-kun. The monkeys will always want to fight, but is it better to live in the falseness of an illusion, then to live in the sensibility of reality. What would you prefer. The joy of accomplishing something by your own two hands, or knowing that you gave up and took the easy way out.''_

_''But...I can't. All of this...it isn't worth it. Not anymore...I don't know what I want anymore, I only knows that I'm tired. Tired of seeing the defeated looks whenever a team comes back without a member, tired of seeing the desolate villages destroyed in the fight, tired of seeing the pain of the world''_

_Flashback end_

After a long and steamy love making session in which she acted a little wilder than normal, she chewed his ass out. Harshly. She commented on how disappointed she was in him, and that she thought he was a better man than that.

After that, she didn't even talk to him untill he got his ass back in line. But she didn't stop trying to kick his ass in gear. Kara was not one for subtlety. If she wanted something, she would get it with force if needed.

''Madara even your dream world would have flaws.'' Naruto muttered that part silently, under his breath. Pushing himself of the wall, he walked into the living room from where he had proceeded into the small kitchen that the apartment had.

He was intent on removing the depressing thoughts off his lover and the memory of her death from his mind, knowing that they were dangerous, especially to someone who shared the Uchiha blood.

The boy rummaged through the fridge, and pulled out several pieces of tomatoes. The red, somewhat squishy plant that the Uchiha seemed to have a predisposition of liking. Naruto was honestly getting fed up with the genetic issues that seemed to hover around his ancestry and it's strange quirks. Stupid genetics.

Botanically, a tomato is a fruit: the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. However, the tomato has a much lower sugar content than other edible fruits, and is therefore not as sweet

In this world, what Naruto just started to refer to by the name of the planet, the species originated in the South American Andes. It was used as a food originated in Mexico, and spread throughout the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, another subject he found somewhat disbelieving. It was hard for him to believe that a small crew of people armed with sticks that shoot a small ball at range can fight of several entire civilizations.

Back to the tomatoes. Its many varieties are now widely grown, sometimes in greenhouses in cooler climates. The tomato is consumed in diverse ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes, sauces, salads, and drinks. While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes.

As Naruto worked on the tomato soup which he would be eating this morning, he did, once more, wonder about the glaring similarities between this world and his own. The most recent and current issue was this.

How come they had the same fruit. How come, that it was called the same name, when it didn't even originate from Japan.

If it did originate from Japan, well in that case he guessed that it would be somewhat acceptable for it to be used in the Elemental Nations as well, seeing as the 2 worlds shared a lot of similarities, not just in language, but in culture, currency, legend and folklore, and even the feudal system. That, and the unfortunate problems shared by both worlds, the destruction and wars. Due to the main similarities revolving around mythology, Naruto was starting to come up with a theory which involved the Shinto Parthenon.

It was mind-boggling at best, but neither Naruto, nor Madara could think of something else. Naruto was sure that Madara was thinking of the same, because he often mumbled such thoughts out loud, just loud enough for him to hear.

The blonde shinobi brought his hand up and slapped himself on his cheek, ignoring the dubious stares that the 2 talking heads sent in his direction as he entered his room and took each one in hand, not taking care to gentle in the least, electing two yelps from them.

''Just watch the Tv you two, and be quiet'' Naruto mumbled after a few more moments, as he could literally feel their gazes boring onto his poor little old self. He ignored Hidan's mutterings of 'bastard' as he walked back into the kitchen and stirred the soup.

He glanced at his hand in the meantime. It was mostly smooth once again, but retained it's roughness from years of hard work. The clauses caused by wielding a sword and holding a pen were gone, due to his still working regeneration, an added benefit of Senju and Uzumaki genes along with the generally more potent Yokai chakra that accelerates healing of demons.

The soup took about 10 minutes to make, and in the meantime, Naruto listened to the news that were aired at 6 for some reason. From what he heard, most of such shows, the television news programmes, started between 7 and 8 in the morning.

He didn't add much, a simple tomato soup, with no other ingredients, mostly because he didn't care all that much about it. Madara did give him a recipe, as strange as that sounded, but he had no use for it right now.

He was going out for a light jog after eating and feeding the 2 heads. He wondered wh did he even bother feeding them. It simply got wasted in the end, as they didn't have stomach. But the food did disappear to somewhere, so he guessed there was something to it in the end.

Yes that was another thing that Naruto prefered not to think of too much.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once again, we can find the one and only golden haired shinobi named Naruto walking down the stairs of the appartement complex in which he resided. His briefcase was being held in his left arm lazily while strolled strolling towards the doors of the Masaremu family of two.

He was going to be taking the little girl to school and back home for the foreseeable future. The thought didn't really bother him all that much, as he loved the girl. Kara had a weakness for children.

While most people that knew her well would describe her as an arctic bitch or a bloodthirsty maniac, he knew her better than anyone else. She had a soft side buried deep down, one that came out when she interacted with children.

Especially after what happened to her.

The little girl was a breath of sunshine in his world, and his morning wasn't all that pleasing. He hated listening to Madara, hated dreaming of Rikkudo's life, hated reminiscing of the past. It was gone, and he could never have it back.

But whenever he dreamt of Rikkudo's life, he found himself questioning his past actions.

It wasn't like he was about to snap and try to become God. Even if he did try, he couldn't access chakra. Kara would have made sure to kick him all the way to Suna and back if he tried something like that.

The boy absent mindedly pulled out a small gem out of his pant pocket, it's colour a mix of a forest green and blue. The Kusanagi was a very interesting sword, it was sentient and followed it's masters will if it choose to do so.

The blade could be controled through some form of telepathy by whoever was it's current wielder, and the small gem was the transformed blade. A simple mental command is enough for the small piece of jewelry to turn into one of the strongest weapons Naruto knew of.

Of course, the weapon wasn't foolproof. It could return to it's master only under specific circumstances, so if he lost it somewhere, or if it was sealed somehow, he would have to make sure he found it first. He clutched the gem softly, and placed it back into his pocket, zipping the pocket along the way.

Less than a minute later, the door's opened and Sara stepped outside, wearing her school uniform with a cute sleepy pout on her face. Her eyes brightened when she spotted him, and she slowly made her way closer to him, finally hugging him and burrowing her face into his side like he was her father or something.

Naruto brought his free hand up and patted the little girl's head softly.''Good morning sleepy-head. Are you happy to go to school'' Naruto asked as he gave Tokiwa, who stood at the door a simple nod of the head.

The blonde was still sorry for what he blurted out last night, and didn't dare to look her in the eyes too long. It was refreshing, to be able to have simple problems like that, not worrying about the state that the monkeys have placed themselves in.

The little girl responded sourly, her face scrounging as she removed herself from where she hugged Naruto, giving her a really adorable appearance ''Morning Onii-chan.''

She replied, before glancing at her backpack, than gazed up at her Onii-chan with pleading eyes. ''Do I really have to go to school today.'' She knew her Onii-chan, and her Onii-chan always relented when she gave him that look. She wanted to sleeeep.

'_If Madara or Hidan saw this, they would never let me live it down. I can't even stand up to the puppy eyes_' Naruto thought a little depressed, sending Tokiwa a look that screamed HELP-ME.

''Young lady, you will be going to school today, and that's the end of discussion'' The woman spoke sternly, shooing the 2 kids away from her door with a small smile as she heard Sara grumble under her breath.

Ah kids these days.

Naruto clasped his hands together, relieved that he wasn't under the little girl's pleading eyes any more, and spoke in a slightly rushed tone. ''Weeell, you heard your Kaa-san. Let's go''

He extended his arm and waited for her to either attached herself to his hand with her own hands, or to clasp them together 'Remember. You should make some friends today.'' Naruto called out, insisting that she should hang out with people her own age.

The little blonde looked up at her Onii-chan's retreating back for a long moment, before nodding to herself and happily catching up. She remembered his words of encouragement from yesterday, and she would do all she could to make her Onii-chan happy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

''Issss he the one?'' Somewhere within a city, a man was shrouded by the shadows of the alley as he was leaning on the wall. The sunlight was barely hitting his body and his face was hidden by a grey fedora.

In his hands, he held a small black box with what looked like a camera lenses on top. However, this was not a camera, but rather a holographic communication device utilising chakra. The man was currently looking up to a pale-blue figure wearing white clothes and a purple belt around his hip.

The man in the hologram held a chart on his left hand, on which some sort of a report was written. From behind him, through the glass you could see a forest filled with dead tree's. The room in which he was sitting was spartan, with various test tubes and screen's showing the results of experiments and test.

''Yes, my Lord. I detected his chakra and could sense your signature radiating from him, as well as another two signatures, faint as they were'' the man quickly replied, no looking forwards to testing the waters with his boss. The man was dangerous and not one to appreciate tardiness or failure.

''Goood. And the girl?''

''She's one of the 4 Cursed Gears, that's for sure'' the fedora wearing man responded to his master's inquiry. He could see the man look absolutely delighted at the first piece of the news, but he didn't ask him anything else after the mention of the girl.

''My Lord. Should I capture the girl'' he asked testily, not looking forward to upsetting the man. Their master was a shrewd one, and you could never be certain what he wanted to do.

''Not yet. I think that we will have someone from TC to test the boy. The group is closing in on her location, and my spies in KS reporting the same'' The man, for once elaborated his reasons, if only to cut off any question from his spy.

''Yes, My lord.''

''Tomorrow, you are to take possession of whatever it is that was sending out these chakra signatures, and bring the to meee. Is that Understoood?'' The master commanded, as always insulating grave repercussions if his words weren't followed.

''Yes, my lord''

''Good, Good. Then I'll see you in two days, Kutsaru. Don't disappoint me'' The picture died out, and the man now known as Kutsaru released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Reaching for a pocket, he took out a cigar and lit it up, before taking a loong drag of smoke.

''That nut-case is a scary lunatic. Why the fuck do I work for him?'' he wondered out loud as he took another drag of smoke, looking at the blonde haired man that had the unfortunate to receive his master's interest.

''Kid, whoever the fuck you are, I feel sorry for ya'' Kutsaru shook of the burned tobacco onto the street as he released a wheel of smoke.

''Maybe I'l have Dasli fight him. He wanted to test something out I hear. Might as well. As long as he doesn't kill the lad he'll be fine.''

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play:**Highland - Se Tu Vuoi (New Version) HQ

''...and with that, Spring came into the land that was forever frozen in ice. The princess started to believe in herself again due to the actions of the hero, and the skies were painted with the colours of rainbows as the land transformed into a spring paradise.'' Naruto finished his story as he and Sara reached the main Academy gates, passing a small group of female students that were standing just outside the school grounds.

As he normally did, Naruto would give Sara a story when he was walking with her, and since he was now supposed to walk her into school every day, he realised that he was running out of tales to tale. He doubted he could talk about the Great Ninja War, as he saw some horrors that he never wished to think about.

''Wow. Did that really happen'' Sara, from her position to his right, asked excitedly as she looked up at the whiskered blond, meanwhile recounting the story of Koyuki-hime and Menma, the name Naruto used whenever he was about to speak of something related to his actions.

Naruto nodded, not looking down at the little girl as they approached the academy building, his left hand in the pocket and the other holding his briefcase. ''Hmhm... yes it did. And spring has lasted to this day.''

Now, he did turn and looked down at the smaller blonde at his right, a grin breaking out on his face. ''But that's a secret, so don't tell anyone, okay?'' he winked at the girl and she nodded with a giggle, not realising that they have already reached her classroom.

The little girl looked at the doors shyly, and observed the smaller groups that the kids have made around the room. She felt like an outsider looking at them, and tried to hide behind Naruto's leg, but that proved to be unsuccessful in managing to hide her from their views.

The older blonde sighed, and tapped her on her back so that she would let go. ''Now, now. Didn't you promise something to me?'' Naruto asked with a tilt of his head, one eye looking down at the girl curiously. The girl nodded meekly, trying to avert her eyes from his gaze.

''~ara, go and have some fun with them. Remember that you can always call me if you need anything'' Naruto told the little girl who stood up a little straighter, and with another small push started walking closer towards one of the groups with a steady pace.

Before she even made it close, one of the girls called out from within the group, one arm up in the air and waving her over. ''Hey Sara-chan. Come closer, we need another member to play'' the girl had short violet hair and green eyes, and as everyone else in the large building, wore the Kuoh uniform, with the addition of a small light summer scarf that was white in colour, with various small animals printed onto it in black.

Sara, enticed by the friendly tone, walked a little bit faster and sat by the girl's side, slowly adjusting to the atmosphere and the company. She soon gave Naruto a small wave, who waved back and turned around, heading out of the hallway that contained the medium high classes and up the stairs to his own class.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sound of the white chalk scraping across the board is heard in class 3-A, as the professor drew a simple picture of a molecule on the dark green surface. The class just started a few minutes ago and everyone was quiet as they awaited for the man to finish his preparations, their books and notebooks placed in front of them, opened, and pencils in their hands.

Naruto looked at the piece of wood intently, still not used to it at all. He much prefered the ink and brush utilised in the Elemental Nations, but he had to adapt. Even if his artistic abilities weren't the greatest concerning he was a high adept in Fuinjutsu, a rank higher than most people could hope to achieve. His handwriting was surprisingly neet with the small piece of coal within a wooden casing.

The blue eyed shinobi looked up as he heard the man begin his explanation to the class, but his attention was temporarily diverted elsewhere. So even as the underaged man paid a relatively sizeable amount of attention to the class in session, a chemistry class that came up once a week for their cell, ugh... class, he let his eyes momentarily look elsewhere, and the orbs fell on the crimson haired beauty of the school.

Rias Gremory was an interesting and surprisingly secretive character, the girl which he was trying to figure out due to his curiosity getting the better of him. So what if the curiosity killed the cat. He was a Kitsune-hybrid anyway.

During the short year that he knew her, he would often feel the tingle in the back of his mind whenever he had a conversation with her, but it was only yesterday that he managed to sense it fully.

The instances during which he spoke with, or shared a conversation with the red-head within the past her weren't all that reoccurring in reality, but during them, it felt disturbingly similar to the illusions back in Elemental Nations, both similar to the Genjutsu that was produced with chakra, and the illusions created by the demonic chakra/energy, but wasn't exactly like neither in the end.

It felt like something was prickling on his mind and was attempting to mislead him into a sense of security.

That was one of the main reason, besides his bleeding heart that his crush was just that, a crush, something which will most likely pass in the end. As a shinobi, it was essential that he never let his guard down around those that he deemed untrustworthy.

Technically a shinobi should never lower his guard, and keep vigilant even in face of the family, or those close to you, but that wasn't good for the sanity of your mind.

Naruto didn't allow himself to let down his guard around most people he knew, and he didn't have many people he trusted fully. The fact that her presence induced such warning alarms in his head, that looking into her blue-green eyes disturbed him into decreasing his level of weariness, was enough for him to keep a distance with her, but not enough to force a big issue out of it.

Even with his suspicions, the girl seemed kind and considerate, so that might just be his social inexperience reeling it's ugly head back. He might be more or less great at maneuvering in and out of various issues during a conversation, but he had a limited amount of interaction with girl's his age.

Most girls weren't trained to be able to kill a man in 30 ways with their left pinkie. Nor did they have a sadistic streak to rival Anko's.

His lover certainly wasn't a normal girl, that was for damn sure.

So he allowed her to interact with Sara-chan, but he would keep an eye on them whenever it happened. While his mind told him to be careful arround her, his gut told him that she was on the level and meant no harm.

Naruto trusted his gut more than his brain. He's here today isn't he?

''Mr. Uzumaki, are you paying attention?'' the teacher's mildly irritated voice reaching his ear snapped Naruto back to attention, his blue eyes quickly focusing on the black haired professor wearing a red coloured lab coat.

Naruto didn't want to cause some sort of mess here in school, thankfully such ideas were beaten out of him by several women he viewed as teachers, bigger sisters or pseudo-mother, so he quickly gathered his wits and scratched the back of his head, this time doing it on purpose as opposed to his usual natural action. He tried to act a little bashed due to the short verbal scolding because of his lax of attention, hoping that the teacher would soon over look it.

''Sorry Azazel-sensei, it won't happen again'' Naruto apologized with as much sincerity as he could and the man curtly nodded the moment those words registered, putting on a teasing smile on his face the next second, but coupled with a hard stare.

Naruto wondered how did the man pull it off at the same time.

''See to it that it doesn't, Mr. Uzumaki. You are here to learn and pay attention... not ogle girls in the classroom. You can do that during the break period'' the man commented as he turned around again, picking up the lowered chalk in the the process.

As the professor's body faced the board, the man pointed at a diagram representing the molecule of water, H2O that he drew during Naruto's lapse of attention, and internal musings concerning a certain red-headed devil, not that he knew she was one.

Naruto gave the man a dubious stare at those words, wondering if his actions really came across as that, and secondly not believing that his curious observations of the red-haired girl was so obvious.

After a moment, he concluded that no, it wasn't. The man must have really good observational skills in that case to be able to spot him. But since Azazel was already turned around, the boy relented and leaned forward on his desk, ignoring the whispers between a few of the single girls in the class to his right.

He tapped the desk with his pen once, and cupped his head in his left hand, the aforementioned limb placed upright on the desk.

''As I was saying. The molecular-geometry is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It determines several properties of a substance including its reactivity, polarity, phase of matter, color, magnetism, and biological activity. The angles between bonds…'' the man drew the corner measure arch between the 2 lines that represented the chemical bond, the attraction between atoms, indicating the angle degrees measure between electrons on the geometric diagram, which in turn represented the water molecule at it's basic form, one oxygen, two hydrogen.

The man, after making sure that everyone in the class was following, his eyes staying on 2 certain individuals in the room for a moment longer than the rest, continued on ''…that an atom forms depend only weakly on the rest of molecule. Meaning that they can be understood as approximately local and hence transferable properties.''

Naruto paid the class more than just simple attention, mostly because all of this, all these theories and observations didn't exist back in his own world, or they were just in the process of being discovered, and here it was considered as basic education for high school kids.

Well education that most of the kids will forget once they are done with their preparations for the juken exams at the end of their high school education. High school in Japan covers grades 10 through 12.

The third year of high school in Japan is allotted for students to prepare for college exams known as juken. Others may wish to settle for a job instead. High schools in Japan are referred to as upper secondary schools.

All of this gave him something to think about and take an honest interest in. The composition of molecules at their microscopic level is something that he showed enthusiasm at researching due to it's importance in his latent, and as of one year ago, lost powers. That and biology, but he wasn't trying to become some kind of scientist.

Naruto wasn't a prodigy of some kind, nor did he have brains to learn it all. He earned and learned everything through hard work and sweat. This was just something that caught his eye, else he wouldn't be trying so much. No, he wasn't an intellectual, but he was a Sage, so it was natural for him to be curious about the natural functions of..well nature.

According to the theory in physics, for something to be created, be it an object, or an energy form of some kind, a suitable form of matter or corresponding energy must exist prior to the action, and then reshaped by chemical reactions on the microscopic level, before the bonds between atoms are established and the object takes on the physical/chemical qualities of it's intended form.

It was not a direct contrast to what he knew of his own world, or to the way that the powers of the All-Creation ability _Banbutsu Sōzō _worked, how the object is shaped and given form, but it was contradictory at basic point.

From what he knew, chakra energies didn't exist at a cellular level, just like the wind wasn't there. You knew it existed, but you couldn't see it, unless, of course you had a Dojutsu.

The _Banbutsu Sōzō_ was fueled by the powers of the user's own will and the imagination of the mind, and then it used one of these energies. Human and demon chakra, for what was established, was always created in a user's body, at least that's how it functioned in his world. He didn't think chakra existed in this world.

There was something in hindu about it, but that was different. It just shared the same name. Those guys didn't go walking on water nor manipulating the elements.

It did require some form of sustenance to be created, as a starving man barely produced any chakra at all, but the fact was that the ratio was not the 1:1 constant derived from physics.

Azazel turned towards the class once more, and was intent on giving them another short lecture, but the bell interrupted him. Halting in his tracks, he paused briefly as he came up with a task for them to carry out over the weekend. Giving the students a smile, he clasped his hands behind his back and spoke. ''I want you all to read and think about the text on page 25. Tell me what did you observe and conclude from the information provided to you.''

Most of the student's nodded at the man's words while closing their books and pencil boxes, or placing their pens in their pockets. The sound of the chairs being dragged across the floor can be heard momentarily as all of the teen's got up and placed the chairs back under the desk's, making the classroom look neat and in order, after placing their stuff inside their backpacks, briefcases, or into their bags.

Naruto walked out of the classroom after another student and headed towards their classroom, ready to stand in the background and just observe his surroundings like usual, when a female voice stopped him.

''Naruto-san, can you wait for a momment'' Naruto knew that voice well. It was Rias's voice, and it caused him to stop. He withheld a sigh as he saw her walk up to him with her usual polite smile on her face that she wore. Even with his logic telling him not to trust her, his gut soundly disagreed with that.

Naruto gave her a raised eyebrow as the two started walking together towards their next class, located in the language room. Traditional japanese was something that Naruto took a lower amount of interest in, but he still did positive in it, with the grades on the middle upper scale.

''What is it Rias-chan'' He asked the red-head as they turned around in the hallway and started to descend down the stairs, moving around a small group of 2nd year students, one of them giving Rias a small nod, not pronounced enough for anyone but Naruto to notice.

The red-head looked at him and spoke with a flowing voice, her words and tone pleasant to Naruto's ears. Inner Naruto slapped himself out of his small crush induced situation. Think of Kara.

''Why didn't you ever mention Sara-san in class.''

Naruto craned his neck a little to the side, keeping her eyes locked with one of his one for a moment, before focusing forward. ''It just didn't come up.'' Was his short and curt reply. It was leveled and lacked the usual emotion that he spoke when not measuring his words and keeping his thought's to himself.

Rias nodded at his words, her eyes still fixated on his face, but she easily walked around any possible disturbance in her path, like the small can that she would have stepped on if she didn't move her leg a little to the left.''She's such a sweet girl. You must be proud''

She praised with her words, making Naruto turn his head and look at her for a moment, before looking away again, eyes slightly saddened, but not showing his sour mood in his body language. ''Yeah. She is, isn't she. A little too attached, unfortunatelly'' Naruto whispered the last part, but kept his mind focused.

Just because his gut was telling him to trust her, and himself wanting to trust her, there were still many unknowns about the girl, and many secrets he held, so he was still carefull of what he spoke to her about.

Even if he was allowing her to communicate with Sara, he couldn't help but be weary of her on a basic level, mostly due to the unknown power she had, which he, for some reason unknown to him, was not sensing being used now. So did that mean she wasn't trying to do what she usually did.

The crimson haired beauty looked at him with curiosity, skipping in her step as they turned around another corner and reached the classroom. Now it was only for them to wait for their sensei to appear. ''What do you mean by that?''

Naruto leaned onto indoor windows, which allowed the students within the classroom to see into the hallway and vice-versa. He didn't look at her as he scratched his chin, trying to decide whatever or not he should answer her question and elaborate himself.

One one hand, his gut, the thing that kept him alive and kicking throughout the years and the one sense he always trusted, told him to act with her like an old comrade, with no need to be weary or over-cautious.

On the other hand, the girl was still too much of a mystery to him. Her, sometimes irrational behaviour, as well as that weird little charming jutsu made him want to talk and act in a restrained manner, to not allow more information that what was needed to stay curt in pleasant. This information went over that line.

In this world, it wasn't considered normal for a student, or even a grown person to be standing on the roof of a building in the city, observing their surroundings from above. That was a method used commonly by ninja. It was easier and faster to travel by rooftops than to mingle in the crowd.

It was a position which gave you a far larger view of the situation at hand, allowed them to police and keep track of the people on the village better and not something you could see happening in this world, due to the fact that almost everyone was a civilian and there was no need to exercise such security measures in a world which was, for the most part peaceful.

Yes there were certain areas that were in constant crisis, but after having his mind cleared, because the Sage's dreams always messed him up, Naruto managed to remind himself that the world was far more peaceful than his own ever was at the moment.

The fact that they the crimson beauty and her friend, seemed to be focusing their sights on him at the time when he spotted them, only made his inner shinobi, also commonly refered to as as paranoia meter by ninja, to spike in the charts.

A paranoid shinobi is a shinobi that lives longer, unless you were, of course Hidan who could charge in recklessly.

It was the combination of the strange sensation, several situations and instances during which he saw and observed the girl behave abnormally to the regular human modus, that made his Inner Shinobi, the paranoia induced from numerous grilling ANBU training sessions and screwed up mission, go haywire.

He honestly wanted to know more about her, but should he keep his distance if it started to go into a situation he was unprepared for, like a bad spot concerning information or trust.

He must have been thinking too long, because he saw that, in the corner of his eye, the girl lost a small amount of her smile and her mood dimmed down, and was about to move away. Taking a decision to socialize more, the blonde.. what was he supposed to be, a Sage, an Assassin, a General, The Savior of the World and Bringer of Peace, a Student. He wasn't sure anymore, but our blonde hero spoke.

He made a lot of effort to keep the tone of his voice normal, the signs that showed that it wasn't a subject he liked to discuss about. His sentence came out with a slightly more hollowed voice as he responded to her inquest.

''I take it you remember how shy she acted yesterday'' Naruto asked as he closed his eyes, ensuring that the slight emotions showed in them were concealed.

He might be a good liar when needed, and could talk like a politician, but whenever something came close to his heart, whenever the situation somehow touched his ideals, his friends, his beliefs or his...family, they were an open book to anyone who could read the signs.

''Yes. It was cute and amusing when she managed to work up enough courage to speak'' Rias cracked a little wider smile at the memory of meeting the little blonde girl. Naruto heard the good-natured humour in her voice and internally winced. If only it was so simple.

''Sara... act's like that because she is insecure'' he started to speak, waving the hand that was scratching his chin a few moment earlier around fleetingly, as he tried to come with the best words to say, but keep his emotions out.

The little girl was like a family to him, and her negative behaviour, even if it was mild, could easily cause his mood to go down the drain.

Swallowing the small lump that was beginning to form soundlessly and with the smallest use of his muscles around the throat, he continued. ''She used to have a big brother, a real blood related brother'' He stopped and opened his eyes, quickly glancing around to make sure no one unwanted wasn't listening in.

Rias's mood dipped when she heard that. The fact that he said 'used to', could only mean one thing. It must have shown, because he gave her a wry smile, a smile that showed just how painful it was for him to share the information.

''I can see you've managed to catch it'' He praised her, but it didn't feel like a compliment at the moment for neither of them.

''Maseramu Shaku died 4 years ago. Exactly on October 10th in the evening, in a car accident, involving the Maseramu family in their small Citroen and a male driver in a Mercedes that had a little too much to drink that night'' He said with an expression that didn't show much of anything other than the low growl that escaped his throat at the end there.

''So then, the reason Sara-chan is..'' Rias trailed of, leaving the sentence to finish for itself. Naruto gave her a grim nod.

''The little girl doesn't remember the incident, thankfully. But ever since then she has hard time connecting with others. I was actually the first person that she smiled at in 3 years, besides her own mother.'' The boy whipped a finger across his philtrum quickly, giving the girl a moment to contemplate on what that meant. Rias was about to speak once more, but the arrival of Emiya-sensei, their language professor, stopped the conversation from ensuing.

Naruto was honestly thankful for the interruption.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm off then." Issei Hyodou said to his parents as he closed the door's to their house and slung his backpack over his shoulder, yawning as he did so. During the walk to the school, he kept his eyelids mostly closed due to the sunlight, only peeking through them so that he doesn't bump into someone or get run over.

_'The sun. It's so bothersome' _The boy thought tempestuously as he stopped at the street light, awaiting the morning traffic to halt so that he could move across the street. A second-year student at Kuoh Academy, he is a pervert who has a habit of fantasizing, and is well known for being creepy at the Academy, and seemed to be at odds ends with the morning sunshine, seeing as it was no good for him.'_ I can't wake up in the morning at all._'

As he travelled, still with his eyes closed and his senses barely spread out, he contemplated,... okay contemplated might be a strong word.

He thought over the problematic routine that his body was taking a shine too. So much that his mother has to wake him up every morning. At night, his body felt tense and ready for action, but during the day he felt like a withered plant.

_'I'm not addicted to on-line games nor am I addicted to night shows.…What's happening to my body? Is my brain trying not to sleep so I don't have to see that dream where my girlfriend kills me?_' the boy had the mental picture of his sweet little Yuuma-chan transforming from a nice, slightly shy girl that he believed he was falling in love with, to the hot piece of smoking-ass with black wings, but with a cruel smile and chilling eyes.

At night, his body felt different. His body felt pumped and he had a feeling that something mysterious was rising from the depth of his body. Weird huh. _'I must not be getting enough sleep. Uggh…the sunlight is giving me a hard time… '_ He whined in his head as he stopped himself just before he got run over by a car. Turning his head around, he managed to pry his eyes open and saw that the 2 girl's, whose conversations he thought was overhearing were at least 20 feet away. He shook his head at the strange sensations that went through his body.

_'I can't help but think that my body changed ever since that day I went on a date with Yuuma-chan. '_

Kuou Academy is a private school that Issei went to. Currently, it's a co-Ed, but since it was a girl's school until a couple of years ago, there are more girls than boys. As the grade goes down, the number of boys increases, but there are still more girls than boys overall. This was the main reason he applied to this school. So that he could get to enjoy plenty of possible girls and their oppai's.

_'I'm a 2nd year high school student and the ratio of girls and boys in my class are 7 to 3. For 3rd year students it's 8 to 2._ ' When he was applying to the school, it felt like a dream come true for the overly honest pervert.

Even now, the girls have a much stronger authority than boys, and the majority of the students in the Student Council are girls, and the Student President is also a was a school where boys can't stand tall, but he still joined this school. Why. Well it's simple and clear. It fits into 2 small sentences like a well sized piece of equipment in a machine.

_'This place has more girls. That alone is a wonderful thing!' _The reason he was was able to pass the entrance exam for this school which is said to be really hard, is due to his perverted guts. He studied so that he could be surrounded by girls.

_'For that reason alone, I am currently attending this school. ' _the boy inwardly admitted and had no shame with saying it out loud, but was still half-asleep. He was just reaching the main gates of the academy and he smelled the scent of perfumes. His eyes open instantly and his head swirled towards the source, only to see a group of girl wearing really short skirts that left little to imagination, glaring at him with eyes that promised high amount of pain if he continued to admire their natural beauty.

_'What's wrong with that! What's wrong with being a pervert!? It's my life! I won't let anyone argue against me! I'm going to build a harem at this school! '_ That was the type of mindset he carried to school everyday, and what he swore to himself the first day of his attendance.

But now he felt depressed and downtrodden. The young boy was was naïve enough for thinking he can make 2 or 3 girlfriends at this school where the majority of students are girls with such an attitude. Didn't he realise most girls like sweat boys who openly appraised their beauty with words, not actions.

_'Only one group of good looking guys are popular and girls don't even look at me. To be more precise, they ignore me like trash lying on the floor.'_ The boy scowled inwardly as he was forced to look away and continue his slow walk towards the main building. Looking half-dead, half-asleep instead of just being half-asleep. His movements were tardy, his eyelids were opening and closing at regular and increased paces. His hair was messy and he had bangs under his eyes.

_'Shit!This wasn't in my plan! Nonsense! In my plan I was supposed to get my first girlfriend straight after I entered this school! After that, I will have broken up with her and started dating a new girl and by the time I graduated, heaps of girls were supposed to fight over me in a Battle Royale!'_ He though over his plan, what was turning out to be more like a fantasy dream and a non-reachable ambition, rather than a well planned and executed strategy he thought he had on the first day of school.

_'A-At this rate, my objective will end in a dream! Wait, is that already a dream!? What was wrong with it!? The era I was born in? The law? Or…is there something wrong with me…? Uwaaaaaaah! I don't want to even think about it! '_ Those were thy type of things to go through his head every day he walked to and from school, as he formulated new and admittedly, idiotic ways to conduct perverse conduct on the school grounds. The boy barely managed to wake up by the time he reached his classroom, and realised that his body was moving on an autopilot the entire time he took to emerse himself in high quality self-contemplation.

Issei entered the classroom while making a big sigh, loud enough for everyone to hear and ignore, as he sat down on his chair and slammed his face down on the table.

"Hey, buddy. How was the DVD I lent you? It was some good stuff, wasn't it?" A bald guy that sat on the table right next to him spoke as he patted his shoulder, trying to bring back his comrade to the land of the aware. His name is Matsuda, Issei's best buddy. A shameless pervert that makes makes sexually harassing comments every day with no care for his own public image or safety. He was a sports-boy during his time in junior high school where he broke many records, but he's in the Photo-Club now. He is really open about his ambition of wanting to take photos of every part of the girls' bodies through the camera lens.

His nickname is the "Perverted Baldy" and the "Sexual Harassing Paparazzi".

"Fu…the wind sure was strong this morning. Thanks to that, I was able get a good view of the girls' panties." Another guy commented as he appeared on Issei's left, leaning back on the desk while using a finger to push his glasses up on his nose, casting an ominous shadow over his face as he gave a passing girl a perverted leer. His name is Motohama, Issei's running comrade in perversion and his number 2 buddy, a guy who tries to act cool and fails at it miserably, often getting beaten in the process by the majority of the female academy population.

The guy with the glasses who is trying to act cool is my buddy number 2, Motohama. He has a special ability called Scouter that lets him get the numerical values of the girls' measurements through his glasses. Along with a special body where his power level plummets down when he takes his glasses off.

His nickname is the "Perverted Glasses" and the "Three-size Scouter".

The 3 'evil' buddies and brothers in arms together are called the Perverted Trio, the bane of the Kuoh Academy, and the running joke among males that know how to keep their genitals from coming under the dreaded 'Nut-crack' shot that the Kendo captain practices.

"I got some nice stuff". Matsuda opens his bag, and tips out the things inside his bag without any hesitation. The rather large number of books and DVDs which were being deposited on the desk for all the world to see had very suggestive titles.

"Hee!"

A small scream comes from a girl far away from us. Well, of course she will react like that. After all, something like this is happening in the morning. What the trio hears, and punctually ignores next are the shouts and insults thrown their direction from the many female students in class. Some discriminating comments like "You guys are the worst~" and "Die, filthy brats" should really force a reaction out of a person. Sadly, the trio is so perverted that they don't pay even a speck of attention and shut them out of their hearing range.

Well, at least two thirds of the infamous Trio ignore the insulting comments. Matsuda, however,often bravely and valiantly, verbally defends their actions with a choice of highly respectful words that manage to uplift some of the scorn that girls in the room leveled at their heads.

"Silence! This is our entertainment! Girls and kids should look away and keep away! Or else, I will rape all of you inside my head!"

...or not.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The bell rang, signaling all of the students that the class is to commence within a few minutes. The teens proceeded to break their small social groups and sat down on their seats. A few moments later, Tishiro Harasu, the resident academy history teacher entered the classroom with his usual smile on his aged, wrinkled face.

A man in his late 50's, the professor has short, sleaked greying hair that reaches just past his neck, ending in several braids. His face is slightly wrinkled with the signs of age slowly creeping in, and he wears big round glasses, coloured in dark brown colour.

He's a man of a shorter stature, standing at the height of 4"9. Having worked at Kouh Academy since it's founding, he knows his way around his subject and is always ready to offer advice to children when they are in need.

A man with an interest in supernatural folklore during past-time, he's a big supporter of the Occult Research Club and acts as a sort of an unofficial sponsor for the cover-front club. He has a short beard that he has a habit of stroking when in deep thought, and always walks around carrying a cane, even though he is quite hip for his age.

''Good morning youngsters'' the eldest, at least in appearance teacher on the school grounds greeted with a voice that was just a decibel lower than the normal tone a human speaks at, forcing some of the student's in the last row to strain themselves so that they could hear him.

''Good morning Sensei'' Most of the class greeted back politely, sitting at attention and eager to listen to the wizened man. The man holds the tittle of the school's most well-liked teacher, and students often enjoy listening to his stories, wherever they are from his personal life experience, the one's that are the more fascinating, or simply detailed recounts of historical events, both important or just humorous in regard to his lessons.

As the lecture of the second year, 2-B class commenced, with most of the students in it paying attention to what came to be another interesting story. Most of the teen students were highly curios of and interested in the man's words, but every flock had it's black sheep. Not listening to the lecture, we find a certain trio of hopeless perverts sitting in the last row.

While most of the students adorned inquisited faces as they leaned forward and relaxed, offering the man their rapt attention as they listened, The Perverted Trio held a discussion, which was in no way connected with history.

Matsuda sighed as he looked at Issei's dull face, carrying himself a slightly bored expression as he tried to gain his comrade's attention with the topic which usually revitalise the embodiment of sexual desires. The boy was turned towards Issei who was in the middle of the large, 3 seat desks that the class had, with his head held up in his right hand.

"You haven't been in the mood lately. Weird. It's definitely weird. You aren't the same as before." Matsuda noted, poking Issei's shoulder with his pointy finger, not getting a reaction from the half-asleep pervert.

Across from his seat, Motohama was copying his actions and pose, both of their intentivnesses on Issei, who was laying on the seat, with his head planted over the palm of his hand. The recently turned, still unaware devil was ever so slowly, with a lot of concentration placed into the absurdly demanding task, opened his eyes. He was then forced to blink away the fogginess in them as his slightly enhanced eyesight recovered.

"Do you have some kind of illness? No, it can't be. There is no way that _you_, the manifestation of all sexual desires, would fall sick." Motohama, from his side made the rude remark, moving his hand away. His rude comment about Issei ticked the brown haired pervert off, but he didn't take what the really rude guy said close to heart.

Motohama poked his glasses upwards as he though of Issei as a 'bore' in his current state, and not really worth all of their efforts into waking the boy up. It was in that moment though, that Motohama snapped his fingers and pointed at Issei as he realized what the problem was.

"Oh, is it that? Is it the side effect of that hallucination about the imaginary girlfriend you have? Yuuma-chan, was it?" the boy inquired leaning closer towards Issei's face, who through a great show of effort, rotated his head around so that he was looking at his friend, and escaped with a hopeless tone, having trouble believing them.

"…Do you guys seriously not remember Yuuma-chan?" It was really, really hard to forget that girl, and the two perverts gave him high fives when they saw his date days ago. It didn't add up in Issei's mind, because the dream was too real, besides the stunning hot transformation of aforementioned cute girl that he was falling in honest love with.

Both of them looked at Issei with sympathetic eyes at his question, feeling sorry for their friend who has gone ill and started to relate their dreams with reality, such a sad fate, that one of their order's best has fallen to the world of fantasies without even tasting the curvy flesh of their delicious classmates.

"Like we said before, we seriously don't know her. You should really get a doctor to check you. Right, Motohama?" Matsuda asked, his head appearing like it hovered above Issei's lying form on the table, giving his friend a pointed look, and a slight shake of his head towards Issei, one which Motohama understood.

"Yeah, I'm going to repeat this again but we weren't introduced to a girl called Yuuma-chan." Motohoma spoke as he leaned back on the table, giving Issei a pat on the shoulder and throwing a glance towards the girl in front of them, who was forced to crouch under the table as her pen rolled out of the way, giving the Pervert Trio a clear fan-shot of her white and partially see through panties.

_'…They always act like this every time I ask them about Yuuma-chan.' _Issei thought to himself as he didn't bother to peek at the girl in front of him, his eyes furrowed in thought, a funny sight on the usually vacacious face, one that no one bothered to take note of.

_'I thought they were just teasing me. But it seems that it isn't the case.' _The boy closed his eyes once more as he tried to figure out this mystery surrounding Yuuma-chan and him. Was it really all a dream. After a minute of ignoring his friend's voices once more, the boy reasoned that it wasn't a dream, and was absolutely positive of it.

_'I definitely remember introducing Yuuma-chan to them. They said things like "How come a beauty like her is Ise's girlfrieeeeend!?" and "There must be a system error happening in this world….. Ise, you haven't done anything illegal, have you?" and kept on making rude comments. '_ the pervert pictured the scene in his head. The tree of them standing at the entrance to the building, with himself feeling quite cocky at his chance to go out and woo the girl

_'I remember that time very clearly. But they don't remember it. No, what they don't even remember is Yuuma-chan. It's as if Amano Yuuma never existed. It's as if the time I spent with Yuuma-chan never happened. Like these two said, it feels like it was just my imagination. '_ Issei brough his hand upwards as he used a finger to massage his temple, all of this was getting to him, and he was still exhausted for some reason or another. Luckily he could feel that he was waking up, albeit slowly, and would most likely be on his feet by the time the class finished. He though back to his disappointment when they proved that there is no record of Yuuma's mobile number or mail address in his mobile phone.

_'Was it deleted from the memory? Did someone delete it? That can't be! There's no way I would delete it, so who did!? I called the number that I memorised in my head, but that phone number wasn't currently in use.' _It was baffling, in the boy's honest opinion. He thought of anything that he could find in order to prove that the girl existed, he even considered of acquiring the recording from the security camera in a shop they visited, but realised that he wouldn't get appeased, if the owner's apparent attitude towards customers was anything to judge by.

_'So does that mean she doesn't exist? Was it all my imagination? Something crazy like that isn't possible… I want to deny it but apart from my memory, there is no evidence to prove that she existed. If I think about it, I don't know her home address. She was a student from another school. I found the school where they wore the same uniform as her. So I asked the students from that school about Yuuma-chan_. ' and he did. He went over there and asked arround, he even got to look into the attendant list himself. But there wasn't a student fitting her description. She wasn't there, and no one heard of her before.

So who was his girlfriend? Who was he dating?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play: **Swift K.I.D - Bed Of Clouds ft Guy Sebastion

Rias scribbled down the last of her notes on the piece of literature that they were processing in-class, and placed the pen down on the table, leaning a little into her seat with her arms crossed across her chest.

The red-haired devil moved her eyes away from the green board and glanced at the clock hanging above it inside the classroom. It indicated the the session would end soon, with only a few more minutes to last untill the lunch break started, and this little sexy devil knew just how to spend the break today.

Naruto Uzumaki, the class's only blonde haired student, and certainly an unique looking individual due to his animal-like whisker that made her mistake him for a Nekomata the first time she saw him, has been peaking her interest since the start of this year, for a reason unknown to her.

Since all her senses told her he was a mere human, even with the strangest reading that she has ever-encountered, a reading that was not Sacred Gear induced, she opted to keep an eye on him.

Rias was highly surprised at the beginning of the last year when he showed up and seemed to be resistant, if not immune to her charm magic which she used in small amounts to see what kind a person...a person is when she talked with them.

The charm magic made them more relaxed to her presence and a little submissive, a thing that she never took an advantage over, not that she needed to.

One, since a human can't detect the usage of Charm magic, it took a considerable amount of willpower to stave of the effects, and he seemed to show no signs of it taking root.

She, of course, being a Gremory never used this ability for nefarious purposes, even if the action wouldn't be looked down on by most of the devil community. But she did use it when she didn't want to be bothered by the students in this school, just using the small but powerful Devil power to keep some of them at a distance.

It wasn't like she needed it however, as she was one the school's Two Great Ladies, and most of the students didn't try to talk to her much besides simple praises, opting to look at her from a distance or try and date her.

That isn't to say she was an anti-social person, she just proffered it they didn't bug her when she didn't want them to with useless words.

The blonde boy was a blank slate, with no information, no family records or history prior to a year ago. The few pieces of info she managed to procure about him were his date of birth and his name, something which she already knew, and the fact that he went to Kouh Academy, again useless since she knew it beforehand.

She made herself a mental note to walk one of these with him to his home, so that the curios devil could learn and find out where he resided, which would sate her interest in him for the time being.

'_Hmmm. So many mysteries about you Naruto-kun, and so little to go on. I can't wait to try and solve them.'_ Rias thought inside her mind as she looked around the classroom, searching, seeking for a certain someone. The familiar sight of spiked, short sun-kissed blonde hair drew her attention, and her eyes followed downward, resting their gazes on his cheeks and those appealing whisker marks of his. He was leaning back in his chair, his left foot tapping the floor without making a sound, hands clasped together behind his head, with his eyes following Ms. Emiya.

_'Why is there nothing concrete about you. What could you be hiding so much?' _One of the things that caught her eye was his disposition in social interaction. The boy didn't initiate conversations with others, opting to keep his distance and fall into the background.

So he was usually alone during the break period. You could find him leaning on the wall next to the classroom with his arms crossed over his chest or tucked inside his pockets, with an unreadable expression on his face, eyes closed af if he was taking a nap.

If he wasn't waiting near the door's, he was most likely outside the main building, taking a stroll around the well lushed forest that was kept in place. He seemed to enjoy the peaceful sensation that it provided, if the smile she often spotted when she came across him during these walks on her way to her Club spoke of anything.

Although he kept to himself, Naruto didn't refrain from interacting with other students when approached and spoken to. When he did hang out with other, he was noted to be quite sociable and easy going, managing to uplift the spirits of the people arround him.

How was it, that she knew all of this. Well her peerage could be quite thorough when acquiring info on students. Apparently the boy had quite a number of female admirers, and they kept a track of him on campus.

He seemed to sense her eyes on him, as he averted his eyes from Emiya-sensei. Those blue pools of blue settled on her, accompanied by a raised golden eyebrow, showing that he was curios at why was she looking at him.

Rias just gave the blonde a smile as she turned around, giving him a small wave of her hand with the movement. Since she turned around, she didn't see the momentary surprise that was reflected on his face due to the small gesture.

While Naruto knew how to maneuver in conversations, he had no idea how to act with 'normal' girls in this world other than his usual self.

His normal self turned quite serious over the years of war, and what was once a cheerful gaki that spouted about becoming Hokage when not on a deep-cover A/S rank ANBU mission, while internally seeking the position in order to protect his mother, was now a hardened veteran who had PTSD and has lost everything he ever cherished.

So his normal self was a more serious, if a little laid back person. Sorta like Kakashi.

And unfortunately, it seemed to give off an air of mystery to the girls, as most of them wanted to either solve it, or to get in his pants for some reason he didn't know why.

You could say that he was sociably unsure on the front concerning teenagers that weren't soldiers, but Tokiwa managed to help him with his confusion for the most part.

But he was still as dense as ever, and didn't understand girls other than Sara and Kara. His little sunshine and his late love.

'_What is it about you Naruto-kun, that you are attempting to hide'_ Rias wandered silently as she closed her notebook with her right hand, the other already reaching for her bag which held her other books, barely noting that time on the clock was about to reach the end of the current session within a few seconds.

**_BRRRRR-zing_**

Again, the sound of the chairs being dragged across the floor filled the air within a few short seconds as all of the teen's got up and placed the chairs back under the desk's, making the classroom look neat and in order, just like the way it was when they arrived, after placing their stuff inside their backpacks, briefcases, or into their bags.

''Next time we might have a test quiz'' , their Japanese and English teacher warned as she picked up her things and the classes grade book, and headed towards the assembly hall.

Naruto was amongst the last to get up this time, his hand holding a small bento as he navigated towards the doors of the class, stopping once to look at Rias who seemed to be waiting for him at the door's with a conniving smile on her face, one that made Naruto's stomach churn in both a good and bad way.

Her plan, if it could be called one was pretty simple and to the point. She was a naturally curios person about things that intrigued her and attracted her attention, and so she promised to herself to find out more about her blonde-haired classmate that kept invading her thought process these last few weeks.

...after she managed to befriend him, she would see if she could get him to become one of her pieces, if a moment when the question could be asked appeared to her

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_'So the dream I've been having is just a fantasy that I made up? Was I talking to Matsuda and Motohama about my dream as if it was all reality? What am I, a pervert? I clearly remember her face?'_ These were the type of thoughts that floated through young Issei's mind as he walked from a student to student, asking them if they remembered a girl that he would describe to them. Sadly most of them shook their heads in a negative, and several girls even threatened him with unimaginable volumes of pain if he took a step closer.

_'…There's something wrong about all of this. '_ Though Issei as he broke of into a run and speed of down the hallway. There was one last person that he could ask if he remembered Yuuma, and if he answered with a no, then he was sure he should get hospitalized.

So with all the unimpressive speed that he could muster out of his muscles he ran, trying to find that whiskered senpai and ask him the question. The guy was always observant of his surroundings and the people arround him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Moving across the school grounds towards his favorite spot by a tree, from which position our favorite shinobi can overlook the entire front yard of Kuoh Academy, we find one Uzumaki (Uchiha-Senju) Naruto.

In one of his hands, in his right to be more specific, is a small bento box.

A bento, is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. From where Naruto came, the bento's were usually placed into bamboo sheets.

His other hand was holding a freshly bought bottle of water from a dispenser in the hall. The elder blonde was whistling a slow and small, quite relaxing tune as he approached his spot, wondering why did Rias take such a sudden interest into him.

Trailing behind were Sara, his adopted little sister, who the boy had picked up several moments ago when she started to whine about not getting enough of her 'Onii-chan' time in school, causing the former Assassin to sweatdrop nervously at the time, and try to laugh of the awkwardness of that sentence.

Suffice to say, he had to let her come or gain a reputation as a pedophile through the school. Something like that...would not be good.

''Ooh, and then Onii-chan won me a fox plushie to take back home. Isn't he the best'' The little girl asked with a big grin on her face as she looked up at the older girl. The Red-haired-nee-san was so cool, and she always seemed intent on talking to her, especially about Onii-chan.

''Your Onii-chan sure does sound like the best. You are one very lucky munchkin'' was the crimson haired devil's response as she patted the little girl on her head.

The little cutie was talking animatedly with Rias Gremory, one of the Kouh Academy's Two Great Ladies, a goddess in many-a-hot-blooded male and female minds, who has seemed to taken a real shine to the younger blonde.

The red-haired beauty walk talking back and fort, responding to the little and highly curios child, at least once she managed get past her shyness and took a liking to someone.

Although Naruto was wondering how did the little girl get accustomed to Rias's presence so quickly. Though highly curious, he just let the matter drop and decided to mentally pray and thank to whichever Kami was listening to him at that moment that his younger sister was getting out of her reclusive shell.

He did keep a single, lazzed but discreet eye on the red-haired girl though. His Inner shinobi was coming up to the surface and gnawed at his sense of judgment.

Little did Naruto know, was that Rias was using a little of her charm magic, which, if one wasn't expecting or couldn't sense was almost unbreakable, to make the little girl more relaxed around her.

It was her way of helping the little munchkin that was just too cute for her own good.

If her helping the little girl makes Naruto happier with her and in term closer with her, then she wouldn't complain at that.

''So, Sara-chan'' Rias began to speak another sentence, and Naruto noted that she replaced the '-san' suffix with '-chan'. She must have taken a really big shine to the girl, because she always used the respectful, instead of the endorsing suffixes.

_'Well, I have never heard her use anything other than the polite ones'_ . This didn't mean that she never used them, as Naruto didn't spend his time stalking the girl. It was just an observation from his limited interactions with the beautiful girl, so that might not be the best tool for measurement.

''...what can you tell me about your Onii-chan. His likes and dislikes, hmm'' asked Rias as they reached the tree, and Naruto instantly felt a strange wave of nervousness hit him, as he sat down on the grass that was dry and didn't dirty his clothes.

He sent a small glare towards Rias for asking that, why he wasn't sure, must be some kind of self-defence mechanism when a woman, especially a woman you liked got to close to your secrets.

Rias gave the blonde her usual smile which managed to wipe the glare from his face, but the boy maneuvered expertly around that problem of being unable to hold some kind of grudge with the red head currently by placing his hand, quickly but gently over Sara's mouth once she sat down on his left side and opened her mouth to talk, initiating her response.

He should have figured something like that would happen. At least most of the things she knew couldn't cause much harm.

Sara crossed her arms and pouted adorably, not happy that her Onii-chan was interrupting her when she was about to answer Rias-neechan's question. It was important, and she knew that Onii-chan at least liked the girl. He didn't really talk that much of his personal life apart from some of those stories she loved.

''Don't. Or no more pocky for you'' Naruto told the little blonde girl as he removed his hand from her mouth, his threat keeping any form of a retort well cowed and subdued. No red-heaired crush of his was about to find out that his favorite color was red. No way, no how.

Rias giggled in amusement as she sat a little bit further from him, but close enough so that if he wished he could reach out for her and touch her, since the tree was preeetty wide and it enabled her to face the same direction as Naruto did.

The sound of her light laugh and giggle was music to Naruto's ears, before he shook his head and got his brain out of the little daze. Kami why did the girl have such an affect on him, he wondered. '_Her smile sounds so nice. I think i could listen to it all day... agh get your mind out of the gutter Naruto. If I can resist having 3 hot kunoichi practically throwing themselves at me naked on Kara's insistence to take and ravish them, I can resist a simple laugh, ... or a smile... or the way she looks right now as the wind blows her hair ou-...damn it..I blame you Jiraya. Somehow, someway this is all your fault.'_ Naruto sent a small glare towards the sky, feeling like he could see Jiraya's laughter from above in a metaphor.

Turning his gaze away from the puffy clouded abyss and the gorgeous girl that was currently making his head spin just by sitting there with him, he picked up the bento box and placed it in front of himself. A decent amount of cooked rice and sushi-flavoured, how they managed to narrow down a sushi to one flavor was a mystery in itself, sauce on the side.

''Say Sara, how are the others treating you in class. No problems I hope?'' Naruto asked as his fingers picked up the chopsticks inside the box and brought some rice into his mouth, making sure not to make any munching sounds at that. A small glance towards Rias showed that she wasn't eating anything herself.

The little girl looked at her own bento with a little hesitation, the little pause making Naruto narrow his eyes as the little girl explained her day so far.

After he left it was all well and good. She managed to socialize with several girls of her age and make acquaintances, but like all well though plans, something must happen and throw a monkey wrench into a perfect day.

Apparently around the second break, one of the girls in her class called her a scamp in front of her small group.

_'How does Sara even knew what that means'_ Naruto wondered, swallowing the rice in his mouth and putting the bento box on the side.

''And this girl, what did you say her name is'' Naruto asked with well hidden anger in his voice, one of his hands reaching out and bringing the smaller blonde in a hug.

Meanwhile, Rias leaned forward in her place, crossing her arms over her knees and leaning her head to the side, observing the interaction between Naruto and Sara, trying and failed at hiding a smile as she saw him reach out and hug the little thing.

''H..Hotaru'' Sara replied with a small stutter, her previous good mood now lost as she remembered the mean girl's words.

The smaller blonde let herself get hugged by Naruto and scooted a little closer to him so that she could get some of the warmth that he usually radiated with. Her Onii-chan was always so warm.

She didn't know why did the girl say something so mean to her. She didn't do anything wrong to the mean girl who was apparently from some noble house that dates back several centuries, and she made sure that she mentioned this to Naruto.

''In that case, you can call her something like floozy or something. Though such things have rarely ever been solved with words alone.'' Naruto, for once used an insult, a swear word in front of Sara with no hesitation, or attempt to disguise the insult. While yesterday she was out of earshot for his tone of voice when he spoke to the thug that was harassing his kohai, and didn't hear anything that was said.

He was being honest in his opinion here.'_What was even the point of those insults'_ Naruto wondered. He knew Sara, and she wouldn't have done anything to antagonise people arround her. She was too sweet for something like that, and she just started to make friends.

No way in hell was he going to allow some little, spoiled rich princess to crush his little sis's progress in that department.

''w..what do you mean'' Sara asked, her mouth open in disbelief to hear her Onii-chan use a swear word in front of her, even if it was a mild one. She knew just how much protective of her he was, and that included influences on her attitude and the way she was going to express herself verbally.

''I said that you can call her back, something like a floozy. Say that she probably has no real friends outside what she can buy with her money and family name.'' Naruto rubbed her left shoulder soothingly, and brought his other hand arround Sara, offering her a form of comfort that she gladly took. Her Onii-chan really was warm!

''Don't care about what she says'' Naruto looked to his right, having forgotten about the red haired devil that was siting by him, and gave her a grateful smile, of the fact that she has included herself into the conversation.

If Sara could open up arround her, then by all means, he could risk becoming friends.

''You are a beautiful girl. She is just jealous'' Rias, with little hesitation at first, decided to voice her thought that could have a positive effect on Sara, to try and reassure the girl.

Sara seemed to be near tears in the moment, a stark contrast to the way she behaved several minutes ago, and it made her highly displeased to see the little girl reverting back to her shy persona.

It took several minutes of soothing words and rubbing her back the entire time, during which Rias came a tad bit closer to Naruto in both her position on the ground, and as an acquaintance/friend to him.

Though she wanted to ger closer to him, his heart was far too closed off for any girl to try and replace his love. But she didn't know this, so she would keep trying for as long as it too. She needed all the help that she could take once Riser appeared, and Issei might not be enough.

Naruto, on the other hand seemed like someone who had fighting experience. She could use that. The boy was hot as well, so maybe she could enter a relationship with him if she desired.

But there was time for such thoughts, and it wasn't at the moment.


	3. A Crimson Rune

**Disclaimer: **...after all of grizzling, hard work, Kishimoto had managed to forestall the juridical process in which my rightful property would have been returned. This is injustice. It's unfair.

I protest! And I detest!

**AN: **

**1)**People I want to give my thanks to. **_Kinunatzs_** for helping me with his messages, bouncing back several of my ideas and giving me a lot to think about, as well as supplying me with facts that I needed. He's like a beta for my plans instead of the chapters themselves. And **_Muse Delta_** for helping me improve with his reviews and opinions, takes on the text and plotline as well as constructive criticism.

**2)** I don't speak spanish. Let's get that straight. English isn't my first nor second language either so don't take the translations too seriously ^^. If you do speak spanish, do send me a real translation- since Google Translator is supposed to be used for words, not expressions or sentences,

**3)** Naruto will be a different take on a Kakashi-esque character. So special but fucked up parentage (in cannon it's fucked up as well. Really your dad seals a demon inside your gut, and then his parentage is hidden. Iwa danger my ass. First I think Uzumaki is more dangerous, considering that fact that 5 separate villages allied and attacked it together. And isn't Konoha a military village. Keeping him safe should be easy.) One of the story goals is to turn Naruto into a cheerful guy again. As you see, he is currently not happy, but struggling with his life.

**4)** inserted Character ''Sekirei (surname, not an alien species ^^) Karasuba''. OOC slightly. So more mellow, but can be sadistic, ruthless, cold and dangerous like Karasuba. So Anko with swords for snakes, that's the closest I can compare her too. Oh and a big pervert. XD

**5)** Manga: Karin can use Uzumaki Chakra Chains. Well this confirms it. It isn't a Kushina specific jutsu/power.

**Play:** When Will You Come Home - Kman

**Revised on 6.5.2014**

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''Shh shh shhhsh shhhh'' Naruto 'hushed' the little girl within his arms as he rubed her back soothingly. He held the smaller blonde in his arms while she bawled her eyes out, sniffing away the tears.

To say he felt awkward would be an understatement. While usually shy or closed of, Sara was a highly emotional child, even more so then than how he was as a much, much younger person.

Maybe he should help Sara in creating a prank that would befall a certain 'noble'. The small brat and her family could get an unexpected visit from the currently chakra-less Konoha's Prankster Menace. Pranking was something that Naruto still loved doing at his heart. It was the last remnant of a young child that refused to die out in the cruel world of shinobi.

So he would be more than happy to utilise his prankster skills on a bunch of snobs.

The memory that he will befall them on that day ...will be unpleasant.

It was honestly a funny concept. That even after all the things he had seen, done and experienced in his short life filled with death, he could still maintain that single thread of his childishness.

It was his quirk, one that was dying out inside him. Each day he felt a little more alone, each night he went to sleep reminiscing of his failures in life. Maybe if he didn't join ANBU or if he didn't meet Yasaka at an early age, maybe then he wouldn't have been such a failure.

Maybe he would have found an answer to 'world peace'. Maybe he would have been able to beat Madara and save his friends.

Maybe, just maybe. But such thoughts were unneeded right now. HE would have to focus on the skills he had in order to make this 'Hotaru's day hell. He could still make ingenious traps with basic materials and remain unseen.

For example, no one knew what happened the day that almost every teacher on the campus arrived to class coloured in orange, pink and violet dye from head to toe, with the exception of Tishiro Harasu. That old man was just to kind for Naruto to prank him like that.

What could he say to justify his actions back then. Well Naruto was a prankster at heart. Even his demonic part was a prankster. The Kitsune were a species well known for being tricksters, so it didn't help him in that regard if he wanted to say NO.

At least it didn't help his 'targets'.

Naruto just sat still and let Rias talk to Sara, the red-headed devil would say various things to either boost the smaller blonde's confidence, or would simply try to get the girl together. With the combined effort of Naruto and Rias, the girl known as Sara soon enough became calmer. Her breathing was steadier and her sniffles were coming in longer intervals.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep with her face buried in her Onii-chan's torso, along with a few new and fresh tear marks decorating the otherwise pristine uniform. Naruto didn't mind as long as she was safe, and he could easily change his clothes at a later time.

His focus was on his baby sister right now. He turned his head and looked at Rias, the girl was observing Sara's peaceful face as the blonde cutie slept in his arms. She had that special smile on her face, one he had often seen on Kara when she was interacting with little kids.

She had been consoling his little sister for the last half hour and the least he could do was show his gratitude. The girl felt his eyes on her and looked at Naruto. Cobalt blue eyes of the golden haired shinobi meet the tealy, blue-green eyes of the heir of the Gremory house.

''Thank you.'' Naruto told her, ignoring the tingle in his head. His body wanted to move in and give her a passionate kiss. But he won't. He still loved Kara very dearly. He will not let anyone take her place in his heart.

Childish and stupid? Yes, and Karasuba would have definitely kicked him six ways till Sunday if she could.

Did he care? No.

Rias raised a crimson eyebrow, but nodded all the same with a dashing smile on her face. ''There is no need to thank me, Naruto-kun'' she said, and Naruto wondered what happened. While he did tell her to not use the honorific with him, he didn't expect her to be so eager to do it.

''She's a sweet child'' the Ruin princess commented as she looked at Sara once again. She had whispered sweet nothingness into Sara's ear for the last 20 or so minutes, as her charm didn't seem to work when she was in direct contact with Naruto.

The ninja nodded at her words as he hugged his sister closer, as if the action will make the girl in his arms feel safer.

''You must be proud of her very much'' she once again repeated her words from earlier, to which Naruto replied with a simple nod of his head in her direction. He looked at her again and their eyes had, once again locked together.

Rias offered him another one of her lovely smiles, and Naruto looked down at the top of Sara's head. The little bundle was clinging onto him with her tiny fists, and he ran a hand through her hair.

With his fingers he took a few strays of hair and placed the locks that have gone astray behind her ears. He moved his hands with an extra measure of gentleness as he didn't want to wake her up untill it was time to go back to class.

Okay, maybe he didn't need to be all that carefull. Sara usually slept like a dead man. Naruto honestly doubted that an explosion could wake her up once she entered her own dreams. Tokiwa had regular problems concerning the mornings.

It was a chore in on its own to wake the little girl up, not even counting the time it took for her to get up from bed. Besides that, there was plenty of time for them to spend here, resting if needed. Both of them had a free period right now, so he could let her sleep in his arms like a content bundle that she was.

''Well, so much for having lunch'' the Uzumaki blonde commented airly. While he didn't want to sound impolite or outright rude, he wanted to at the same time voice his mil displeasure at the current set of situation that he had found himself in.

His other hand continued to caress the little girl's hair as he picked up the bento box with his free one. His eyes would still however dart towards the Gremory heir every so often. He was wondering what did he do to gain her sudden interest.

While he didn't doubt that she was a nice person, as any human could get at least, but he did wonder how did this come about.

''Hmmhm'' was the blank response he received from the red head. Naruto raised a golden eyebrow at her. She was behaving, he wouldn't call it strangely, but unexpected. Best word would be different.

Yes that would be the best word used to describe it.

Different from what he expected from her to be like. In school she was a polite and nice enough girl to be arround, if you could at least be arround her without drooling at her looks. But she was acting very, very kind with this. He had pictured her as some sort of a noble girl, who had an image to keep.

Right now she seemed content with looking at the sleeping body of his little sister and helping Sara out with her problems. He figured that her family were some kind of important figures, and so that she would have to be the pristine child. That would explain her attitude which, while not unusual in the human world certainly wasn't common everywhere.

The girl walked with a very confident aura, but he thought that she used measured actions. He honestly figured that she was the kind of person to plan her movements with enough thought and consideration of unexpected mishaps that might occur to her.

She knew what she was doing, and he believed that a girl like her wouldn't allow a good number of things to be left standing if they stood within her path towards her goal at the time.

Sorta like Kara, only more diplomatic.

Something Kara wasn't.

What he was seeing now thought, raised a few question to him. But mostly, her words and actions strengthened his beliefs that she was kind-hearted and gentle at...ugh heart? That she was kind and gentle on the inside. That might sound better, yeah.

...Of course there was always the possibility that she was the sort of person that schemed and manipulated others, but he honestly doubted it. The biggest reason for his doubt was the fact that he had nothing to offer. He was powerless. He couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, not even fuinjutsu.

His battle skills always laid in his mixture of taijutsu and ninjutsus, since with his monstrous reserves, being the son of a Kage, an Uzumaki as well as having the Kitsune predisposition for larger chakra reserves, it was easier to dish out attacks of such sort.

Besides his lack of powers, there was another reason for his doubt. Having been raised mostly by ANBU after a certain point, he had gotten really good at reading people, even back in his youth.

His gut hadn't steered him wrong so far. And it was telling him to trust her, and to befriend her. That last part might be his other head talking though. He was a hot-blooded male after-all.

Having enough of the silence, which for some unexplainable reason Naruto found uncomfortable, the 'boy' with more kills than some armies decided to start up another conversation with the girl.

However, just as he was about to speak, the ninja was interrupted before a single syllable left his throat by a shout of a male voice that seemed slightly hysterical in nature.

"You!" a shout.

A finger stabbed the air, pointing in Naruto's, Rias's and Sara's direction.

There was a sinking suspicion going down Naruto's back that his relative peace has just been interrupted, violently. He felt his pervy-senses tingling. Having grown up surrounded by the variable perverts, he would never admit to being one.

There was just too much shame for him to do so.

But the benefit of such an 'upbringing' was in Naruto becoming a veritable sensor for such illicit people. And it was going haywire at the moment because a familiar looking student was hurrying towards them.

He made sure that Sara appeared as decent as she could be in this case.

Pedophiles and open-proclaimed perverts usually got together from what he knew in his experience. His entire ANBU unit was filled with perverts, then there was Kakashi-senpai and his Icha Icha material, which he always read out in the open.

Then there were those six months he had spent travelling the EN with Jiraya, acting as an 'escort' for a Sannin! What load of crap was that.

There was just no way that he would leave the boy conscious and with the ability to reproduce in the future if the brat tried anything to Sara. You could never be sure what people want in girls.

He could be a loli and a pervert for all Naruto knew.

He wasn't sure about what would he do in case it was on Rias, since he really didn't care for her that much outside of this new, supposed friendship, but that was placed on the back-burner for the time being.

"What does that idiot want from me?" Naruto rhetorically asked, muttering under his breath in doing so. The ninja his left hand up, towards his temple and started to massage it. He did it in order to try and stave of the approaching migraine that wanted to settle in.

He was really not interested in the prospect of spending his time in conversing with another pervert that openly declared his goal of peeping and leering at the girl. What's worse, he was even a worse leecher than the perverted Sannin.

A feat not many could boast about.

Wasn't it was bad enough that he had to deal with Kakashi-senpai's habit of constantly keeping those books of his out in the open during his time in the ANBU corp.

Or maybe the time he had spent having to stand up and endure Jiraya's antics for 6 months during one of his long term mission that he went on.

Escorting the perverted toad his ass, the lazy bum just wanted research material for his next book and planned on using him for the inspiration once he saw that girls liked him much, much more.

And what's worse, Kara fully supported the man's attempts to get him laid with as many women as he could. There was something wrong in that woman's head, but Naruto didn't care.

She was HIS woman, and he was HER man. The act that she was By didn't bother him all that much. Her tries to have orgies with as many females as that he could fuck however, did in fact bother him.

The idea of a harem was so repugnant to Naruto that he never ever thought of it, not even dreamed of such a thing.

Men called him a pussy.

Women called him a blessing.

Jiraya called him a coward.

Kara called him a spoil sport.

Rias looked at the approaching boy with hidden curiosity. She knew what he was most likely about to ask, but wondered how would he go about it himself. She could already guess that he's answer from Naruto would be a disappointment.

Although she should take care of the boy soon enough and bring him into the family. The youngest devil currently under her protection still wasn't brought into the peerage as an official member. She would have to remedy that soon. '_Oh well, he will learn the truth soon enough_'

"You were there last week, you remember her right?!" The brown haired boy uttered with an almost frantic light in his eyes. It did a fine job of creeping Naruto out by the intensity he saw there.

"No one knows her anymore, but you do right?!" Well whatever the monkey was talking about, Naruto could honestly admit that he didn't care, so as fast as Naruto could have brought his freak out under control, he dismissed the boy.

Afterall a man can't work with nut-cases like Lee and Gai without either subcoming to madness or developing an immunity to their craziness. On a particular note one had to get ussed to the flames of youth and the fires of the eyes.

That coupled with his years of being surrounded by people who were either leering perverts or rabbits in heat gave him a particular tolerance to idiocy and perverism.

Both of which you needed when talking with Issei. [hint*hint*: dress break, or maybe the talking boobs?...WTFfffaaa?]

With the choice to ignore the boy and focus on keeping his sister comfortable, Naruto glanced at his...friend with the corner of his right eye. Rias's expression wasn't one of annoyance, like what he had expected to be from a female that had to stand the boy's presence for longer than a moment. The boy was, after all, a member of the Perverted Trio.

20 seconds passed and the boy was still staring at him with that hysterical light. Looking deeper into his posture, Naruto managed to detect the traces of desperation in the way he held himself.

It wasn't really all that hard to notice truly, you just needed to know what to look for on the surface. Naruto didn't let out a sigh, but he did release a louder than normal breath of air. "What are you talking about...Issei'' he asked lazily.

Better to remain uninterested in whatever the boy wanted to say.

''Yumma-chan, my date from last week'' the perverted boy all but shouted his words at them, with the finger which was spending it existence by being pointed at Naruto shaking from a mixture of fear and frustration.

Thankfully no one else was around to hear him besides Naruto, Rias and Sara, who could sleep through WW3 most likely if she put her head to the task. Naruto did glance around his surroundings nonderiptly just in case.

He sent the boy a small glare at the tone of his voice.

''Be quiet little brat'' He hissed out a warning, just as the boy spotted the small lump within the tall blonde's arms, being held held protectively. Wondering what it was, Issei strained his improved eyesight just so slightly. When he did, he could see that Naruto-senpai was holding a small girl with pale blonde hair rather protectively.

Her size indicated that she was most likely in the medium high, and he also saw that the small girl was sleeping soundly in the older male's powerful arms. Issei scratched the back of his head sheepishly, laughing awkwardly at the ninja's threatening expression.

''Ehehe..I'll be quiet'' Issei tried to reason with the young soldier.

Seing that the boy was sufficiently cowed, Naruto decided to reply. However, he was not attempting to hide his annoyance at the boy's presence and his tone was slightly miffed, a rather comical sound from such an imposing figure. The sour look on his face only added to his image, making him look feral with those whisker marks of his.

''Yeah, the little cutie which tamed the infamous perverted blood. What about her?''

''So you do remember her!'' with the words leaving Naruto-senpai's mouth he felt like the weight of the world was lifted of his shoulder in that moment.

There was no amount of words that Issei could use to describe the feeling of relief at that proclamation, because he was getting a feeling that he was going crazy beforehand. The dream was too real not to be a dream but nobody remembered anything.

Off on the side of the small group of humanoids, which consisted out of one human, one kitsune/hybrid, one devil and one devil/human hybrid Rias was particularly stunned in that moment.

Although she made sure that she wasn't showing it, the fact that the golden haired boy named Naruto still remembered the girl was a huuuge deal. Each of the Three Faction species had one speciality.

Angels radiated a special aura which, while dangerous to demons, made every human feel relaxed and comforted. The devils had their Charm magic, which allowed them to manipulate the human minds and use them for their own needs.

Fallen Angel speciality was their ability to erase and manipulate memories. While all the three species had a way to use either of the magics, they were predisposed for their own type. So the Fallen Angels were much better at making people forget things than Devils, as even a low tier grunt could easily conceal his presence and erase his tracks from the simple-minded humans with little to no trouble.

'_So Naruto-kun you've given me another mystery to try and unlock. You can resist my charm magic with ease, and the memory alteration magic doesn't seem to work on you_' The Gremory Heir mused.

Rias remembered that the boy first just seemed to be highly resistant to her magic. But then she was slightly shocked to realise that he was by now totally immune to it's effect, or had just such a strong power of will.

This revelation had then simply strengthened her resolve to get him to join her peerage, among several reasons for it. She did wondered is he had some kind of non-human ancestor down the line.

''Yeah, so?'' Naruto asked impatiently. He didn't bother in changing his tone of voice, nor did he make any attempts to appear less annoyed than he already was by Issei's presence.

Bringing his right leg closer and placing his hand over it, his eyes focused on Issei.

Due to the way he was raised by Yasaka in those few short but sweet years, Naruto didn't like various types of people. He loathed snobs and people who thought they owned everything because of their name, but he highly disliked perverts.

Perverts like Jiraya were just that annoying to deal with. Kara was an exception because she was Kara. That and the fact that he couldn't say no to whatever she wanted him to do. Be it go buy some milk at the dead of the night or to give another woman a fuck to remember him by.

Uzumaki Naruto and Sekirei Karasuba were strange like that. ANBU kinda messes you up in the head. So as long he knew his ass and balls literally belonged to her, he was free to fuck other girls.

A weird girl, considering she insisted on that last part.

Everyone is a pervert at heart, that is true and Naruto could attest to that, as much as he hated to admit it. It is what drives human sexual libidos beside the instinct to reproduce in order to prolong the species, but people like Issei and Jiraya, come out as scum during their activities of 'research', and as poor losers that can't get their hands on an ass even if they paid.

And though Jiraya didn't have any particular problem with that, his charms did work of most of the women he tried to woo at times, Issei was just a small, simple pervert who probably lived to dream about breasts.

''So. SO! No one else remembers her, not even people that I have introduced her to.'' Issei exclaimed quite loudly, making the smaller blonde in Naruto's hands stir from the un-needed noise.

The perverted boy was also waving his hands around in a very haphazard manner, looking like he was trying his best to either fly or hit a fly. He must have been trying to show off the severity of the claim, but Naruto still had some problems to think of the pervert as a serious.

It was drilled into his head from a young age the women were beings to be respected. He knew that in certain regards that they were stronger than man, for they were able to do and endure things men couldn't.

The only person Naruto felt genuine fear of was his mother, the one who raised him. He could stand up to Madara without flinching, fight against Kushina without no fear for his life, but the one person that could instill fear into him was his mother, Yasaka.

The only person Naruto ever feared in his life was his own mother and even to today he still feared her, especially if she ever found out about his little trick.

But their 'rocky' relationship could never be fixed now that he was stuck in this world. As long as she was safe though, Naruto was happy.

''Hmm...what do you mean?'' after coming to a deduction that he wouldn't be let alone unless he gave the boy the time of the day, he did just that. Trying to appease him enough to leave, Naruto asked with a hidden interest.

Something was really wrong with Issei if he was acting like this, in any case.

Hyoudou Issei. Naruto had met the boy about a year ago, a few weeks after waking up in this world, and personally, was not impressed by the boy. He was what appeared to be a regular slacker who could only put an effort into work if there was something perverted in the end as a prize.

The boy spent his time peeking on the many beautiful girls of their academy and Naruto did not like to associate with him all that much. '_3 super-perverts for a lifetime is well much enough'_ Kakashi Hatake, Jiraya, and Anko Mitarashi... there was something wrong with that woman.

Kara was one as well but he casually tried to ignore those sensual and stimulating memories. Threesome's, Clone gang-bangs and veritable orgies are just some of the things she had dragged him into.

However, it seemed that in their short time that they interacted, Naruto has left a deep impression on the young pervert, and now it was time for the boy to call for some help.

''I meant exactly what I said.'' Issei said as he brough his hand up and started pulling on his hair, in frustration. He was relieved that at least one person still remembered Yuuma, but it was so frustrating because it seemed that nobody, not even the people he introduced her too remembered her.

''As in, nobody at all?'' Naruto asked, with a tone which was slightly more interested into this. It would be more than just people pulling a leg at Issei, as he wasn't honestly worth the trouble it would take to organise a prank on such a scale.

'_But why is he asking others about her'_ Naruto wondered to himself, narrowing his eyes at the boy in question.

''Yes nobody'' Issei repeated once more, making it clear to Naruto-senpai that yes, nobody remembered Yumma-chan. He would have asked the Rias-senpai, but there was no way that she met her so it would be counterproductive

''uhm...okay.'' Naruto said awkwardly. While this was highly interesting development in his, so far highly mundane and routine life, he really didn't know what Issei expected him to do, what did the boy want out of him.

He was no longer a shinobi, well not an EN shinobi, and investigating it just for the sake of the boy's missing girl seemed more trouble than it's possible worth. ''What do you expect me to do in that case..'' Naruto asked, motioning for the boy to speak with his left hand open towards him.

''uhmm...'' Issei muttered, lowering his hand and scratching his left cheek. Actually he didn't plan that far. He just wanted to see if SOMEBODY remembered. ''uhm..''

''right...''Naruto sighed. This guy was really something else, rushing into situations head first, not even planning on what to do next. He could never picture himself that way, and hoped that he never would have to.

'_Why do i have the urge to find the closest orange jumpsuit and burn it, preferably with Amaterasu_' Naruto wondered, idly noting that Issei was still standing there, in front of him.

That was when he caught the fact that the boy was staring at Rias's chest with a bit of drool coming out of his mouth, and without thinking, gave a small growl at the sight. No matter what his head said, he still had his instincts and sometimes acted on them.

Issei's attention was first caught by the crimson hair of a girl sitting besides Naruto-senpai. A brilliant crimson colour. Their school idol whose beauty is beyond a normal human's. Her slim proportions aren't the shape of a Japanese girl.

_'Of course. She isn't Japanese after all. I heard people say that she is from Northern Europe. '_

It seems like she is attending a Japanese high school due to her father's work. Anyone will get their heart taken by her after witnessing her beauty. Rias Gremory. And her breast's. His eyes were glued to the fleshy mounds.

''Issei..'' the word came out low and threateningly, somehow managing to send a chill down the boy's spine and make his hairs stand out, even if Naruto wasn't projecting any killer intent.

Even still, that had managed to snap the boy from his perverted thoughts. He was just imagining how would it fell to bury his face into the valley between Rias-senpai's breasts, and he kinda lost the track of his surroundings.

So when he connected the fact that Naruto was being defensive of the girl, he wisely backed up.

He still remembered the memory of seeing this guy trash an entire biker gang within 3 minutes, walking away with a small smudge of blood on his shirt that must have flown out of one members mouth when he broke his teeth with one punch.

The taller blonde left behind a beaten and bloodied to a pulp street gang that were trying to rob a gas station. The men were lying on the ground, twitching and moaning in pain as their skin colour varied from purple, black and blue, not sure which one should it stay from the damage received.

''Hehe'' Issei laughed awkwardly, while backing up slightly. ''..sorry Naruto-senpai, ugh see ya later'' the pervert hurried the sentence as he held up his hands in a defensive manner, hurrying away from the kick-ass fighter that was Naruto-senpai.

Once he was gone, Naruto stopped for a moment in his thoughts to wonder why did he react in such a way, then remember that she was his crush, and his slightly animalistic instincts kinda didn't allow other males to stare at her beauty. He turned towards her with a look of someone who was embarrassed of something.

Then he brough up his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, looking quite sheepish in the eyes of the world, and handsome and cute, something difficult to pull of at the same time in Rias's eyes.

His eyes closed, a small grin on his face, stretching his whisker marks on the sides. ''Ah, sorry for my reaction Rias-chan, hehe. I don't know what came over me!'' Well he did know, but partially demonic instincts are something hard to control. Another reason why he couldn't say no when Kara told him to fuck another woman.

Rias, while being a woman who didn't care all about modesty if it allowed her to get what she wanted and most likely would have allowed the boy to stand there and gawk at her for a while, was internally highly pleased by the reaction Naruto showed.

She had an infatuation with him, she would admit. So besides her interest in the fact that he was interesting with his hidden past and resistance to subjugation magic, it made her happy that he shared the same to a degree.

She doubted he would have reacted like that if he didn't.

Giving the blonde haired boy a smile that she knew made his a mess on the inside, judging by the way he had to recompose himself whenever she did it, she spoke ''No problem Naruto-kun. I have to go now, so..'' she stopped as she stood up from her position by his side, stretching out her limbs and giving Naruto a nice view.

''I will see you later then'' she stated as she walked away, keeping one eye on the boy with her head turned to the side, enjoying the wind that picked up and made her hair billow on the current.

She made sure to say the -kun suffix in a sensual way, just so that he could hear it.

After she was out of his sight, Naruto thumped his head against the tree, trying to get the pictures of her walking away saucily. The girl was gorgeous and it was taking a lot out of him to hold his instincts. It also didn't help that due to sharing some demonic blood but not being a full bloodied demon, his libido and hormones wove higher than normal.

He also blamed Kara for his higher than normal sexual desires. Damn that girl was wild and untamed.

But no, he loved Kara and would remain loyal to her for as long as he could. He already lost about 40 of his life via regeneration and dangerous jutsus, so his lifespan was just a little above a normal humans. He never fully turned into a demon fox by nature. His mother was one but he was too young to learn how to do it.

It would have meant that all of his chakra and blood would have been replaced with Kitsune stuff. Potent and vast, but demonic and burning in nature. That burn clashed with his wind affinity.

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A few hours later, we find Naruto and surprisingly Rias once again walking together through the halls. This wasn't missed by their numerous fans, and the reactions were mixed.

Naruto was first confused, but as he figured out what was happening, he became increasingly annoyed with the monkey's and their foolish reception, along with their mistaken perceivment of what it was in front of them. After a few minutes Naruto implored the tried and tested method of ignoring them.

So without paying attention to the whispering monkeys... i mean students who were whispering between themselves as they passed them by, Naruto was holding his briefcase in his left hand, slugged over his shoulder along with the black uniform blazer. Glancing at the girl besides him who could have passed by as an Uzumaki any day of the week with her flaming blood red hair, he spoke as soon as they reached a small patch of emptiness withing the halls, cleared of any students that wished to eavesdrop.

''You know, the place where I live at is nothing special'' he told her as they made a left turn, entering another hall Kuoh Academy, passing by the whispering students without paying attention to them. She had expressed her curiosity to where he resided and he really had no excuse not to show her.

As long as she stayed out of his home and pants that is.

''I am curios, that is all '' Replied over her shoulder, tilting her head to the side just so slightly as she looked back at him. Since the turn, she was walking in front of him by an inch, which meant that she would have to turn her head a little in order to see him.

The sight, with one of her eyes partially hidden by her bangs was, in Naruto's opinion really beautiful, but he kicked in that training from being a ninja and managed to keep a clear head.

''I am still failing to see the point. Why would you even like to see it. It's a nondescript building downtown. '' he countered as they reached the stairs and made their way downwards, turning to the left in the next hallway.

His building was actually  
just by the border of the city limits. One more street and you would exit the large town/small city completely.

Rias smiled merely at him, finding it quite cute that he was trying to evade her. Fufufu.

''Is there something wrong with wanting to see where my friends live'' she told him in a gentle voice. Her words did make Naruto stop for a second in his tracks, before quickly breaking out of his momentary stupor and catching up with her.

''Friends huh?!'' Naruto told to himself lowly, to low for her senses to pick up, his head tipped towards the ground slightly. He didn't have time to say anything else, as she continued to speak.

''Besides, you don't have anything to hide do you Naruto. What could be the worst to happen'' she asked mirthfully, knowing that what she said carried a risk, a big one if he closed himself in now. But nobody ever accomplished anything without taking risks.

Naruto sweat-dropped at that, what did he have to hide.

Maybe a small arsenal of shinobi equipment sealed away and resting in his storage room, or maybe the big, bad triple scythe Hidan used in his 'rituals'. Or maybe even a pair of BEHEADED talking heads.

Nooooo, there is absolutly nothing to hide. He didn't know where she lived, why should she know where he did. This again went against his shinobi instincts which were currently screaming at him to say _no_ to her.

''Well if you insist'' he offered lamely. Naruto's words deflated the shinobi instincts, making the little black and white sketch of a ninja carrying Earth-styled ninja clothes, a headband with the kanji for shinobi imprinted in white, 2 swords attached to his back and hands clasped in a ram symbol fall to the ground comically, the image puffing away a moment later.

''Here we are, just need to wait for my sister'' Naruto said as he and Rias finally stopped in their tracks and were waiting at the bottom steps for his adopted little sister to appear. In the meantime they were talking to each other about the assignment given to them by Azazel.

They didn't have to wait long for the small blonde to appear, and Naruto was relieved to see her come down with a smile on her face.

Sara spotted her big brother standing there, conversing with her newest nee-chan and walked towards them with a happy expression on her face. After Onii-chan told her what to do to mean Hotaru is she tried to act mean to her again, she was left alone by the girl and her friends.

Who knew those self-defense classes he gave her would prove valuable in school.

"Hey Onii-chan, nee-chan, did you wait long for me?" she asked as she started to walk towards the gates, making an effort to ignore everyone else like the two older 'kids' did a few minutes age, with Naruto stopping in his tracks for a moment and turning his head to look at Rias intently, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

Sara had made friends with her fast. Really, really fast. Two days is practically ridiculously short time for her to act so familiar with the girl.

'_Could it be what I was sensing before'_ Naruto could only speculate inside the confines of his mind, as without chakra to use or the ability to mould it he was mostly useless, unable to use his powers and investigate such powers.

But did he really want to risk it.

He continued to walk, coming up at Sara's free side and took in the scene of a happy Sara chatting with Rias with absolutely no shyness in her actions and no audible stutter in her voice.

Not all powers are bad, he concluded. He would have to keep an eye on her behaviour though. If whatever Rias was doing hurt his little sister she would learn why ninja don't require chakra to be deadly killers.

Besides the Kusanagi hasn't drawn blood for an entire a year.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

''Well this is it.'' Naruto informed the red-head beside him in a lame-ass tone of voice as they neared the area within which he and Maseramu's lived. Sara was in front of them by a few feet, her head glued to her phone. She was playing a game on it.

Naruto didn't really play any sort of video game, mostly because almost all of them revolved around either fighting or warfare. Two things he had done plenty off in his life.

That particular game was called Crazy Birds, if he remembered correctly. It was something with big round chickens being launched using a slingshot and blocks of structures. He had quit after his 3rd try.

Rias nodded, comiting the location of his home to her memory as she took a look around. It was a peaceful place near the city limits. There was a shop for the daily products on the right northern side, along with another store, this one much larger but empty, followed by what looked like a small garage complex.

On the other side, 3 different buildings took a stand up high. At the far right was what she believed was Naruto's appartment building, two stories high and offering a view on the city. Following that another house, this one smaller and a single floor but still fitting perfectly in the design with white doors and a cafe, which was currently closed as the owner decided to sell it, with the business going down for him.

''I see'' she decided to give her reply as Naruto grunted, muttering 'told you so' under his breath the entire time.

''Hey Sara-chan'' Naruto called out, grabbing the girls attention. She looked at him from the edge of her eyes, mostly focussed on the game in her hands. ''Hmm. What is it Onii-chan?''

''Go put your stuff away. I promised to take you watch that movie in the cinema last week.'' Naruto informed her, internally cringing at that. He had almost forgot, and the one thing that would never change with Uzumaki Naruto is that when he makes a promise, he keeps it.

Her eyes grew wide and she quickly put the game away, rounding arround to look at her Onii-chan with eyes filled with happiness. ''Really?'' she asked to make sure. She really wanted to go and watch the movie.

Okay, the movie was a bit on the action side, but it's okay. She didn't really like girly things. Her Kaa-san found it amusing that she would rather play outside in the park or play a video game when offered to do something she classified as 'girly-stuff'

Naruto nodded.

''Yatta!'' she exclaimed as she pumped a fist into the air, before dashing to her house. In her wake, she left behind an amused pair of supernatural humanoids.

Rias looked at the boy by her side. She wondered what was the girl going to watch in the cinema. So she asked. ''What movie is it?''

Naruto struggled to keep the amused snorting out of his voice when he told her. When he did tell her, he did smile, like he was privy to some sort of internal joke or something like that.

"Alien vs Ninja!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Sol sun was shining with the colour of orange in the sky, far away on the horizon as it made it's slow descent.

The birds were singing as Naruto, now dressed in a dark green coloured blazer and dark-brown jean pants, along with a pair of comfortable sneakers, made his way towards the town park, one of his favorite places to relax when he wanted some peace and quiet.

While his apartment when his 'companions' weren't bickering was a peaceful enough place, and he had the option of conversing with shinobi there about things that he saw and learned about, or even to ask them a question, as loathe as he was to ask Madara anything, he needed a place where he most likely wouldn't be disturbed.

While the Naruto from two years ago would never have even tried to find some peace and quiet, being mostly over-energetic at almost every turn, a thing Kara made a good use of, seeing as he had grown up faster than most kids with a mixture of healthy diet and his special chakra, he now prefered the silence.

Maybe it was because he was mourning, or maybe because he had seen too much war, or maybe it was just because of his Sage training with the Toad Elders. While he wasn't a summoner of the Gama clan, he was taught how to control senjutsu because of a little present left behind by the Snake Sannin.

And while his Sage mode was completely different from theirs, being more focussed on the predatorial aspect and his physical senses, the enviroment in which he learned was all about serenity and calmness.

Bullshit. He was a half demon. They don't do calmness and serenity like some old geezers on a mountain somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Sure they can be calm and relaxed, but the blood always wanted, no demanded to be in motion of some sort for the younger demons.

Still, he had began to appreciate it as the Great War progressed.

He passed a family of three.

A man wearing a casual outfit, with sleaked brown hair standing above two women, laughing about something that the woman said. The woman was dressed in normal JDSF, the Japanese homeland self-defence force camouflage digs, she had short black hair that flowed past her shoulder, and in her hand she held a toy plane for their daughter, the same hand that held her wedding ring.

Their daughter seemed to be about 6 years of age, and had a big smile on her face as she laughed merrily, trying to reach for the plane toy as her mother flew it over her head, the smile never leaving her face as she did so.

They appeared to be content and happy, and it brough a smile to Naruto's face to see such happiness around him. Say what you want about him, but he always wanted a family above all else, to share a warm bed with a woman he could take care of and snuggle, to have a daughter he could pamper and spoil all day, and a son that would keep calling him cool and someone to pass on his skills to.

The smile turned sour at his memory of Kara.

Washing the smile from his face in order to drive the somber thoughts away, he walked off the path and headed towards one of the trees on the side, holding a book in one hand. It was a romance novel called **Unexpected Love (**_By JPMod_) that he bought about an hour ago at a kiosk, for a reason he didn't really know, but he bought it and now he was going to read it.

He reached the tree and placed the book into his pocket, the same pocket in which he carried his Kusanagi currently, and looked up. The branch he intended to climb and rest on was higher than most, and was definitely something of a challenge to reach for people who didn't know how.

It was a very thick and comfortable looking branch though. Naruto wanted comfortable. So he would reach it. Simple, no?!

Backing up a few paces, he rushed forwards and ran upwards for about one meter, the momentum of his sudden movement carrying him high enough.

Just as he sensed that it was about to cease, he pushed away from the tree and put his hands up. Ha caught on to the branch and swung his body upwards, performing a mid-air turn as he rotated on his axis, and landed on the branch in a crouch.

Naruto smirked.

He might not be able to utilise chakra anymore, but he doubted that there were many people in this world that could try and keep up if he decided to go into a parkour race with them.

Moving around a little, he finally leaned onto the tree with his back, folding his right leg up closer to him and placed his right arm, the one that just took the book out of his pocket, over it. His left leg went draping over the side, idly swinging as he turned the cover page over with his left hand.

''Love can pop up unexpectedly with someone you least imagine to fall for'' was the message written over the inside cover, in neat, silver kanji over the picture of the main characters. A woman in a beautiful mid-night dress, her hands positioned on her hips which were rocked a little, appearing slantwise. She wore a smile on her face and a man in a suit, standing behind her, holding his hands over where her hips would be if she stood straight.

'_well, let's see what do we have here, shall we'_ Naruto thought as he started to read the story.

He read and read for several hours, not even taking notice that the night has already fallen, due to his enhanced eyesight being able to see the words clearly in the mild darkness. His body was hidden from the view in the shadows of the leaves, but he could see clearly the small fountain from across the side if he looked up from his book.

However, his trusted and battle-tested instincts alerted him that something was wrong. Glancing around quickly, he spotted Issei standing by the fountain, appearing paralyzed as a figure emerged from darkness.

The moment that he sensed Killer Intent, he knew something was wrong. His hand slipped into his pocket, and pulled out a green gem.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After leaving the school, the Perverted Trio had started watching porno with high spirits. They were all happy and excited when they started watching porn straight after school, but as they watched more porn, they started to get depressed instead, because the question of "Why don't we have a girlfriend?" came into their discussions.

Issei felt like crying after they discussed it seriously.

Matsuda hasn't stopped crying since 3 movies back.

Motohama is trying to act cool, but there are tears flowing from his eyes behind his glasses.

Thirty minutes ago, Motohama said this with a low voice,"…I was asked to come behind the gym by a girl….. That was my first time getting mugged by a girl…", so even Issei was about to cry after hearing that.

Issei wondered what kind of a male specimen are three boys who are all glum while watching porn, how does it look like to the passing onlooker.

**''Obviously, the answer is three unpopular guys. **'' an ethereal and booming voice from above them interjected, but they all ignored it after taking a moment to search for the source.

Issei felt like hating this world after thinking that there are guys of his age who are having sex with a girl right now.

When the boy looked at his watch, it was already 10 o'clock. He had already told his parents that he's at Matsuda's place. '_but they will worry about me if I stay here any longer and I will also be late for school tomorrow._' He concluded glumly, because of the fact that their fun time was over and he would have to wait 14 more hours to do something similar.

"Anyways, I'll get going now" Issei muttered after finding no way out of his predicament, causing all the boys to stand up and get ready to pack up. Issei was out of the door's first, followed by Motohama and lastly Matsuda, since it was his place and he was going to lock it after them.

''See ya later guys'' He told them, slamming the door's a moment latter behind them.

"See ya." The 2 boys replied automatically, even though they knew that their voices wouldn't reach him through the door's at the volume they spoke. The boys turned left and headed towards their respective homes, moving at a snails pace.

"It's a beautiful night. Since it's a good night, it's normal to feel like watching porn." Motohama spoke while looking at the sky with a big sigh, causing Issei to give his friend a once over due to his state. The boy was usually so full of energy.

'_He looks really down. _' Issei noted to himself, feeling bad for his friends, both of them took a blow to their pride after the trio discussed and acknowledged the fact that neither one of them was getting any action from the numerical hordes of female students.

_'Well by tomorrow, both Motohama and Matsuda will return to their usual selves.' _He realized, putting up a little more perked up face.

"See ya tomorrow." Motohama said as they reached a cross section, the boy turning to the left, his hands clasped behind his head still gazing at the night sky. He wasn't looking energetic with the way he was waving his hand at him.

"Yeah, have a nice dream." Issei said back. He though of what could he do to make them happier. He should probably send him a text message afterwards to cheer him up.

As Issei made his way home he felt the more energetic as the night ticked away, the energy flowing through his body rising. It's a symptom of the "overflowing with power at night" thing he had been experiencing for the last two weeks.

_'Like I thought, there is definitely something wrong with my body.' _Humans aren't nocturnal creatures. They sleep at night regaining their energy and function during the day. So it should be energy rise during the day, sluggish movement during the night. For him it was reversed.

He didn't realise that while he walked, he entered the park, deep in thought about the weirdness that has invaded his life recently. He felt stronger, his senses improved drastically. And almost no-one remembered Yuuma-chan besides Naruto.

Issei sighed as he closed his eyes and his head fell down a little. But after a moment, he heard the sound of water falling into and splashing into more water, and looked up.

He was at the fountain, a beautiful fountain with several levels of circular stone constructs, which had water outpouring into and out of them. There was the largest circle made out of stone near the top, just under a smaller, and much thinner but higher located tip, which ejected water at in a steady, crystal clear stream.

''This park'' He mouthed as he approached the stone-made fountain with steady paces. As he reached it, he kneeled down and ran his hand over the cold grey rock. A sudden cold washed over him as he did so, but had no idea why.

_'This is where I was on a date with Yuuma-chan'_ He realized as a memory flashed through his mind. The events of the day rammed into his conciousness like a bull that saw red.

**_Flash-back_**

_"Please go out with me." _

_A confession from a girl! I felt what it was like to be a youth. She's so cute that I fell in love with her at first sight. _

_Won't you say "OK" right away if some beauty comes up to you and say "Hyoudou-kun! I love you! Please go out with me!"? That will be like something out of a dream for a guy like me whose age equals the number of years I didn't have a girlfriend. It won't be weird if someone says "What bishoujo game did you get that from?", but it seriously happened! _

_A miracle certainly did occur! I was confessed to! From a beautiful girl! I actually thought it was a prank. I even thought several times that it was the result of a penalty game and that her friends were looking at us from elsewhere. That can't be helped. Until then, I believed that I was a guy born to be unpopular with girls. _

_But ever since that day, I became a guy with a girlfriend. The world around me changed. I don't know how to explain it but my heart was at peace. I wanted to say "It's my win!" to every guy I walked past. I started to feel sorry for my two buddies, Matsuda and Motohama, who didn't have a girlfriend. That's how confident I became. _

_On our first date after we started dating— _

_I was ready to use the plan that I had made a while back. _

_Fufufu, I've brushed my teeth dozens of times since yesterday night. There is not a single place I missed. _

_I even bought new pants. You can't tell what will happen after all. _

_I arrive to the date spot with the attitude of a super virgin guy. _

_I arrive at the meeting spot three hours before Yuuma-chan did. I counted up to a hundred girls who wore glasses walking pass in front of me! _

_During that time, I received a suspicious leaflet from a weird person handing out leaflets. It was an occult-looking thing with a weird magic-circle and a sentence - "Your dream will be granted!" - written. ...I want to throw it away, but I decide to put it in my pocket since I can't throw it away now. _

_When Yuuma-chan arrived, I said this. "Don't worry, I also just got here." _

_Bullseye! I was able to say it. I always wanted to say that! Then we walked while holding hands. I was really touched. To have a date while holding hands with my beautiful girlfriend! _

_I was so moved that I was about to burst into tears. I shouldn't rush it. It's not the time to panic yet. After that we enjoyed our date by going to a clothing store and having a look at decorations for our rooms. _

_For lunch, we ate at a family restaurant just like how a normal high school student would, and Yuuma-chan was eating her chocolate parfait deliciously. My stomach was full just by looking at her. _

_Yeah, I felt as if I understood how other teenagers feel when they go on a date. I felt as if I was alive for the first time. _

_Mum, thanks for giving birth to me. Dad, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to continue our family line, but it looks like you don't have to worry about that any more. _

_As I was thinking about all those sorts of things, it was already afternoon. It's the climax! _

_Kiss!? A kiss before going home!? My head got hyped just by thinking about that! Oh, maybe we will go even further! That's what a horny male high school student like me is thinking. _

_We are at the park that is away from the town. There is no sign of people, and no one is here besides us. Thanks to that, my erotic imaginations builds up. I should have read a book that teaches you to do even more naughty stuff! _

_Yuuma-chan already let go of my hand and she is standing before the fountain. "It sure was fun today." Yuuma-chan smiles while having the fountain behind her. _

_Kuu! Damn, she's cute. The sunset which is behind her gave a good atmosphere. _

_"Hey, Ise-kun." _

_"What is it, Yuuma-chan?" _

_"There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date. Can you listen to my wish?" _

_Oh yeah. It's here! This is it! This must be it! The smell of my breath! Checked! My mental preparedness! Hmm! My heart is beating so fast~! _

_"W-What is the w-wish you want?" Aaaaagh. The tone of my voice is deep. She will find out that I'm thinking of something idiotic! I made the dumbest mistake after coming this far… _

_But Yuuma-chan just smiles at me. She then says it to me clearly. _

_"Will you die for me?" _

_... _

_...Eh? What was that? _

_"...Eh? That is...huh, sorry, can you repeat that again? I think there's something wrong with my ears." I must have heard it wrong. That's what I thought. That must be it. So I ask her again. _

_But... _

_"Will you die for me?" _

_She clearly says it to me again. While laughing. _

_Her words didn't make any sense. The moment I was about to say "That's so funny, Yuuma-chan" with a smile... _

_FLAP _

_Black wings appear from her back. She then starts to flap her wings. The black feathers float in the air and then drops down to my feet. What is that? Eh? Certainly Yuuma-chan is cute like an angel, but… Angel? No, there's no way that can be true. _

_Is it some kind of acting? My beautiful girlfriend who is flapping her wings while the sun sets behind her. It looks like a scene from a fantasy story. But there is no way I can believe something like this. _

_Her cute looking eyes change into cold scary eyes. "It was fun. The short time I spent with you. It was like playing house with a little child." _

_Yuuma-chan's voice sounds very cold. Her tone is like an adult's. Her mouth is forming a cold smile. _

_BUZZ _

_A sound much heavier than the noise that a game console makes vibrates in the air. It's making a lot of buzzing noise and it appears in her hands. _

_It looks like a spear. Is it glowing? It seems like it's a bulk of lights or something…. Actually, that is a spear. _

_HYU _

_The sound of the wind. A nasty noise follows after it. _

_DON! _

_The moment I thought something grazed my stomach, the spear which was in Yuuma-chan's hand pierces my stomach. She threw that at me... _

_But rather than that, why? I tried to pull the spear out of me, but it disappears. The only thing left was a huge hole in my stomach. And blood which is flowing out from it. Blood. Blood. _

_My head got dizzy, and my eyesight became blurry. I was already lying on the ground and by the time I realised it, my legs lost their balance. Footsteps close in on me while I'm on the ground. _

_A small voice vaguely reaches me. It's Yuuma-chan. "Sorry. You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you." _

_...Sacred, what...? I can't even ask her a question and I'm in a state where I'm down on the ground. Her footsteps get further away from me. _

_At the same time, I started to lose my consciousness. The hole in my stomach. It must be fatal. I don't feel any pain. But I realised that I was in a seriously bad condition because I could feel that I was about to lose consciousness. _

_It must feel nice if I lose consciousness now as if I'm going to sleep. But if that happens, I will certainly die. Are you serious...? Am I going to die at this age? _

_I haven't even lived half of my life yet! How can I laugh if I die because I was stabbed by my girlfriend at this weird park! Ku… My consciousness starts to fade away while I was having such thoughts… _

_It feels like many things inside me are disappearing... Oh yeah, I wonder what's going to happen at school tomorrow? Will Matsuda and Motohama be shocked? Will they cry for me? No way, not them... _

_Mum, Dad… I haven't done anything to please them yet as their child... Rather...it's not going to be funny if they find those porno magazines I was secretly hiding after my death... _

_...Why the heck am I only thinking of these kinds of things when I'm about to die…? _

_My hands...can still move... _

_I touched my stomach and brought it in front of me. Its red... Crimson red. This is my blood. My whole hand is red. This is all my blood. _

_...But if I was to die, I want to die after groping Yuuma-chan's oppai... Haha, my perverted illusions don't stop even before I die... Aaah, my eyes got even more blurry... _

_Is it finally the end for me...? Damn, it was really a boring life... ...If I was to be reborn, I want to be... _

_"So you were the one who called me." Suddenly, someone appears in front of me, and she talks to me. I can't tell who it is since my eyes are blurry. _

_"Looks like you are dying. Your wound...oh my, looks like something interesting is happening to you. So it's you… This truly is interesting." She's laughing as if she found something interesting. ...I wonder what's so funny... _

_"If you are dying, then I'll pick it up. Your life that is. From now, you will live for me." _

**Flash-back scene end**

_'Yuuma-chan.' _He thought sadly. All of that couldn't have been a dream after all, but could it have been real. No it couldn't have. He died there in the end. He absent-mindedly reached for the spot that the spear pierced through.

It couldn't have been a dream '_After all Naruto-senpai remembers her'_ he reminded himself, more so that he himself would believe it that anything else. But what had really happened that night.

He couldn't be dead.

If so he was feeling really lively for a zombie.

Issei felt his blood run cold for a moment, and felt icy chills all over his body for an odd reason. He didn't know how, but he knew that he was being watched by someone at that moment.

He could feel a mysterious atmosphere around himself as his body started to shake. He turned around towards the direction that he somehow believed the sensation was emanating from. The shaking gets stronger as a sense of fear creeps at his heart.

It's a man. There is a man wearing a suit emerging from the darkness chuckling. With his eyesight, he could see that he was glaring at him with fierce eyes. Eyes of hatred and utter scorn.

_'It feels like my body will freeze just by looking into his eyes. Isn't this what you call killing intent? I can definitely feel hostility from him. No, this is something more dangerous. This is definitely killing intent! He's walking towards me! So he is after me! '_ Issei's thought ran rampant as the figure crept closer, and his body felt stiff all of a sudden. His brain quickly summarised that he was in danger and that he should run, but he was frozen in place.

''Now, Now what do we have here'' The figure spoke as the sky above them started to distort, and appeared muddy, like tempera and ink in different colours were dropped over it and it constantly shifted, as if alive.

"This is rare. To meet someone like you in a place like this." The man said as he took another step closer, a fedora now covering his eyes, his presence screaming at Issei to run away, engaging his flight-or-fight instincts.

Issei didn't even listen to what he started to speak as he quickly tried to asses the situation he was in, and tried to figure out why his body felt like he was dropped into the Arctic circle.

_'…? What is he saying? No no, it isn't weird if crazy people like him talk nonsense. So he is a dangerous guy after all! Oh shit! What should I do if he takes out a knife!? I don't know any self defence martial arts, nor have I ever had a fight before!'_ Issei realized that if he was to fight, he would most likely end up killed, because he doubted that the man wanted to do anything else.

So once the man suddenly lifted the fedora covering his eyes, the sheer intensity of his eyes scared Issei, who tried to back of by jumping slightly...

...and ended up flying clean over the fountain as if the gravity was the equivalent of that on the Moon.

"Trying to run away? Who is your Master? It must be a person with a very low rank or with a weird hobby to choose this place as a territory. So, who is your Master?"

'_I only intended to back of slightly. What is going on'_

STEP!

The man takes a step closer and Issei shouted as he backpedaled, nearly tripping over his feet as he turned around.''I don't get what is going on here'' he shouted over the wind as he ran away, sprinting at full speed.

As he ran, he could see black feathers falling from the sky in front of him. The boy didn't even notice that he was moving at least twice as fast as he normally could.

_'Is it a feather of a crow? No, this isn't._' catching wind of the similarity of the scene, the boy asked out loud ''Yuuma-chan'' .

Silence, a deadly and oppressive silence was his answer as a shadow passed overhead. He was forced to stop as the same man, wearing the coat landed in front of him, black wings on display as he flexed them inwards behind him.

"Did you think I'd let you escape? That's why lowly beings are a pain to handle, and the reason I hate the existence of low classes." The man spoke in a bored tone, and it carried a mild amount of hatred that felt immensely misplaced in Issei's own humble opinion.

_'…An angel? No no, this isn't a fairy tale, so that can't be!? Is it cosplay? It looks too real for cosplay. Are those r-real wings? No way!_ ' Issei asked himself as he backed up again, falling on the ground as he tripped in his haste to get away from the man who would appear to be his hunter for the night.

The figure pointed a glowed hand at him "Tell me the name of your Master. It's a hindrance to get bothered by your kind. For that, we will… Wait, are you a "Stray"? If you have no Master, then that will explain the worried expression on your face." The man said as if realising something, and a wicked smile appeared over his face.

_'The suspicious guy is mumbling to himself. Don't make up stuff on your own!The situation is serious, but I suddenly remember the incident I had in my dream. The dream about that date. At the very end of that dream, I was killed by Yuuma-chan exactly in front of this water fountain. Yeah, by the Yuuma-chan who had black wings growing out of her back. And there is a guy with black wings in front of me. …Is this the thing where a dream becomes reality? Hey hey, how did a hot chick turn into a guy!? No, that's not important! What's important is the situation I'm currently in! If this is going according to that dream, then the next thing that will happen to me is— _

"Hmph. I don't feel any presence of your Master nor your comrades. I don't see anything that is trying to hide its presence either. And there's no magic-circle appearing here. According to the current situation, you are a "Stray". So it won't be a problem if I kill you."

The guy who just said some scary stuff raises his hand. Issei heard a noise he was familiar with. Something that looks like light starts to gather in his hand. Blue energy appeared, forming a shape that resembled a loose mix between a spear, javelin and a sword quilon block guard at the centre of the construct. Issei quickly got of the ground, staring at the spear in horror.

_'If I am going to get killed in a dream again. I would prefer it be by a beatiful girl'_ The spear descended and Issei found his body moving on it's own accord, the spear barely passing by, singing the sleeve of his arm as he sidestepped it, but fell on the path once more, not prepared for such a sudden movement.

The guy mumbles something else under his breath, and another spear forms in his hand. Issei hears some rustling in the bushes, but before he could see what it was, a ray of crimson energy zips past his head, colliding with the spear in-flight and producing the sound of shattering glass.

''Is this your doing'' the man asks as he looks at his hand. A red light starts emanating from the side and both turn their gazes towards it. The man scowled, but it is hidden by the collar of his coat. ''Seems not''

"Don't you dare lay a finger on that boy." Issei's eyes widened as a woman appeared out of what looked like a magic circle, something that he saw in a game a year ago he played in Tokyo.

But it wasn't the appearance of a magical looking circle, or the fact that someone just materialised in front of his eyes that shocked him the most. It was the person who materialised that shocked him

'_Rias-senpai...what?'_ the boy is so shocked that he didn't know what to do. Yes, she is the senior student at his school. The beauty with crimson hair.

''You, who do you think you are'' the man shouts as another spear forms, and was launched directly at the woman. Another similar circle appears in front of her, mid-air, and the spear is deflected as a girl with silver hair landed in a crouch in front of Rias.

The man catches the spear of light with his hand, and roars in anger, charging at the devils in an attempt to eradicate their hideous presence of this Earth. ''Why you''

The sound of thunder booms in the air, and an bolt of golden lightning barely misses the man, causing an explosion which sent the man flying away. Another girl steps from the shadows with a smirk on her face, yellow lightning crackling in her raised palm.

"…Crimson hair… You must be a woman from the House of Gremory…" the man in the coat said out loud as he found himself in a crouch, one arm over his knee and the other holding him up. The man glares at the woman with crimson hair with eyes full of hatred.

"My name is Rias Gremory. How are you doing, Fallen Angel-san?. " she asked tauntingly but with a tone that one would use in a conversation between old friends. The man closed his eyes and stood up with a chuckle, dusting away the dirt from his coat at that.

''I didn't know you were the leading inspector of this city, Gremory-san'' he placed the fedora on his head again, and looked at the still frozen form of Issei on the ground, having fallen once more from the blastwave.''Is he a member of your family''

''Yes he is, and if you try to hurt him anymore, I won't hold back, or show you any mercy'' the girl warned the man with black wings. The coated man nodded with his head, concealing to her point. ''I see. Very well. Then I shall retreat for now. But don't let your servants roam this place alone. I might accidentally send him to the other side while taking a stroll through the neighborhood.''

"Thanks for the advice. I will heed your warning'' she said in a more business like voice, but the jeer was still plain to hear.'' Same goes for you. If you try anything like this again. I will kill you, no questions asked" Her eyes showed just how much of that was arrogance, and just how much of it was true.

Her eyes said that it was a simple truth.

"I will say the same to you, heiress of the House of Gremory, and when the time comes, a suitable reply.'' The man spreads his black wings, and his body starts to float. He then flies up into the sky, before rocketing upwards towards what appeared to be a ripple in air. ''My name is Dounashiku. I hope we won't meet again." As soon as his body went through the portal, the sky turned normal, and the oppressive feeling was lifted from the air.

_'So it's safe now…? I feel a bit relieved, but my eyes get blurry and it feels like my consciousness is disappearing. My eyes blurs. Huh? Isn't this bad? This is definitely bad, isn't it? ' _His breath started to come out in a more measured gaps, and his body started to feel heavy as the adrenaline that circulated in his body got burned up.

Rias looked at Issei with a look of sympathy. All 3 females moved closer to him, and the boy felt like he was back in a dream again. '_So beautiful... And their panties can be seen. I think I want to dream like this every night if this is my reward.'_ He thought before his body went limp, succumbing to unconsciousness as the toll of the things going arround, took a strain on his mental abilities.

''I was careless. I didn't think he would be in contact with Fallen Angels already'' Rias commented as she looked over, checking for any signs of injury.

"Ara, he fainted. It can't be helped. Hey, where is his house—" Akeno asked to herself, idly picking at her nails as some of the golden lightning danced between her fingers.

Rias looked towards the forest, her senses telling her that there was something out there, but as she looked closer, it appeared empty, with no one there. The wind blew by and sent a leaf heading towards her floating on the breeze.

She observed as it landed on her forehead horizontally, with the tip pointing up and left and the petiole down to the right.

She reached up for it with on hand, and let it fly off with another gust of wind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Naruto swung his body to the side, landing into the grass silently, without even producing a peep of noise. He steadied himself by placing his open palm onto the earth and looked towards Issei's direction. He could see an outline of a man in the darkness, but the shadows seemed to be trying to keep him hidden.

Naruto crept closer as he saw Issei's body going stiff. The presence in the air was heavy, it felt like he was fighting Orochimaru once more. It felt malicious to him, but he believed that it was only because he didn't have any power to counter the oppressive force with his own.

'_Still. Whoever is projecting this much KI want either to make Issei shit his pants or is looking to kill him'_ Naruto observed with narrowed eyes, their shape changing into animal slits as his vision was enhanced, but not enough. He could see that the man was taking a step closer.

Naruto took another silent steep closer, his body crouched and hidden by the shadows of the darkness. However his eyes widened slightly as he witnessed Issei make a jump o_ver_ the mountain like he was using chakra to enhance his muscles, but the awed, as well as clueless face he wore meant that he himself didn't know what was happening.

"Trying to run away? Who is your Master? It must be a person with a very low rank or with a weird hobby to choose this place as a territory. So, who is your Master?" Naruto heard the man ask, his enhanced hearing picking it up with a small amount of strain, but he heard it. Naruto placed a hand under his chin. '_Master. Ranks. What is he talking about_' Naruto took another step closer, and leaned up to a tree, making sure that there was no way for them to spot him in the dead of the night.

A moment later, Issei broke of into a sprint, and the man in the coat bore black wings, similar to European Angels, something he saw in the history books when they were processing that area.

'_Damn, Issei sure is fast for a human! Or whatever he is. I don't think people can jump backwards like that without some sort of angular movement and prep beforehand_' He thought as he saw the boy disappear down the path, and broke of in a silent run.

He couldn't use his full speed to try and keep up with them, as he didn't want to risk causing noise. He no longer had chakra, so he couldn't muffle his steps like he used to do byck in his Black Ops days.

He kept his eyes locked on the man in the air, and he spotted familiar looking feathers dropping behind him as he sailed through the sky. Naruto took note of the fact that the sky looked like someone threw up a bunch of paints and mixed them together. He maneuvered around a tree in his way and stopped once he saw the bird-man land in front of Issei.

His fingers itched as the small gem glowed dimly. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he listened to what the man was trying to say. When he spoke, you could hear the amount of disgust in his tone, like he saw Issei as a sleaze.

"Did you think I'd let you escape? That's why lowly beings are a pain to handle, and the reason i hate the existence of low classes."

Despite the seriousness of the Situation, Naruto could sense the sweatdrop at that though forming on his head .'_Come to think of it. Issei is a sleaze. But still that's no reason to try and kill him.'_

Naruto watched with fascination as the man formed a weapon in his hands made out of blue energy. _'Raiton chakra. No.. it's not the lightning element. Something else... but what' _He though to himself as he realized that the man was really planing on killing Issei.

As much as an idiot the boy is, he didn't deserve to die.

The gem's glow ceased, and in the span of a second, with the sound of a metal blade unsheating, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was formed in all it's glory. Naruto moved around the two inside the forest, as he knew that the man was much faster than him if he could, and that he could never be able to reach Issei in time to block the weapon.

Naruto was relieved when he saw Issei dodge the thrown weapon, the energy of it dissipating a few meters past him and once again appearing in the man's hands. He reached a bush and saw that Issei fell on the ground once more, and had the urge to curse the boy.

You don't fall on your ass when someone is throwing weapons at you.

He moved, knowing that he wouldn't be able to save Issei in time from the distance that he was. His only measure of contempt would be the fact that the boy's killer would meet the same fate.

The weapon flew at Issei, and was within a meter of the downed boy. Naruto's grip on the sword tightened, and he prepared himself to stalk out and pierce the winged man from behind.

But a ray of crimson blood energy, it's colour bearing a disturbing level of similarity with his own's cursed seal skin, a _gift_ from Orochimaru that he loathed and never wanted to use again, intercepted the spear, producing the sound of shattering glass.

Naruto stopped once he saw that someone else was appearing and, if the action from a moment before was true, would defend the boy from this bird winged man.

''Is this your doing'' Naruto heard the man direct the question at Issei. He saw a red light shine upon their forms and turned his head towards what, resembled like a Summoning Shiki. ''Seems not''

"Don't you dare lay a finger on that boy." Naruto's, and he could guess that was the case with Issei as well, eyes widened as he saw Rias appear inside the red circle. Materializing out of a small red light, a tear in space-time.

Naruto was shocked, but kept his composure. He saw another spear heading her way, but caught movement from the corner of his eye as another Red Shiki appeared in front of Rias, deflecting the spear away as a smaller girl landed in front of her. One that he already met.

'_Koneko...what?_' Naruto asked himself, his eyes narrowing at this scene. It would seem that the people he knew were not so simple as he thought they were. He couldn't sense any chakra being used, but he knew that there are more forms of energy in the world.

The man catches the spear of light with his hand, and roars in anger, charging at the devils in an attempt to eradicate their hideous presence of this Earth. ''Why you''

The sound of thunder booms in the air, and an bolt of golden lightning barely misses the man, causing an explosion which sent the man flying away.

Naruto felt the urge to rub his eyes as he saw that girl from yesterday step out of the shadow, with golden lighting dancing, zipping at the air from her palm. '_what was her name..Ake..Akeno, that right... What the fuck is this. I didn't even sense her'_

Naruto lowered his sword down as he saw that the man with wings appearing subdued, his movements now not threatening. "…Crimson hair… You must be a woman from the House of Gremory…" the man in the coat said out loud as he found himself in a crouch, one arm over his knee and the other holding him up.

Naruto furrowed his thoughts at this. So he was right. Her family was something important.

"My name is Rias Gremory. How are you doing, Fallen Angel-san?. " Naruto heard Rias ask tauntingly, and raised an eyebrow. That kind of speech, even if only her tone was different, was not something he expected from the polite princess.

The man asked if Issei was part of her family, and Naruto really felt like he wanted to slam his head into something. They exchanged several verbal barbs and polite sentences (**read threats**), before the man disappeared into a ripple in the air.

Naruto's eyes narrowed even further as he kept staring at the disturbance. It looked identical to what he saw yesterday.

''My name is Dounashiku. I hope we won't meet again." The man's voice echoed through the forest. Naruto looked at Issei, the boy appeared to be coming out of shock, and it seemed that his body was about to give. '_Poor kid. His adrenaline must have been going crazy until now'_

Naruto observed as the girls walked closer to him, and Rias seemed to be checking the boy over. Once he believed that the boy wasn't in the harms way, Naruto silently crept away, his form concealed within the night.

Once he was a safe distance away, Naruto stood up with the Kusanagi still held in his hand. The blade retracted to it's sealed form and he placed it his pocket. He furrowed his eyes as he thought over what he saw.

'_Rias, just who the hell are you?'_ One thing was for sure. His life was definitely going to be hectic in the coming weeks. As Naruto walked, he came across a small board with leaflets posted over it. One in particular caught his eye.

It was an occult-looking thing with a weird magic-circle and a sentence - "Your dream will be granted!" the Shiki was identical to what he saw underneath Rias. He placed the leaflet into another pocket and sighed tiredly.

So much for a care-free life in Hazama.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As a red car zoomed past Naruto on the street in the middle of the night, it's movement in the air caused the wind to pick.

The wind then proceeded to spread out the few pieces of the old trash paper that has made it's rest on the asphalt road by the sidewalk.

Naruto, who was walking down the street at a slow pace, blinked as one of these old and wet papers nearly nested itself on his face, and was forced to lean his head sideways unless he wanted to kiss the piece of paper, letting the floating piece of trash to carry onwards with the seasonal wind, it's destination unknown, a secret undiscoverable...

...that ...or landing onto the asphalt once more after hitting the side of a building, as noted by Naruto who curiously followed the paper's path with his eyes, azure blue that were back into their normal shape.

The blonde ex-shinobi sighed fastidiously as he rounded up around the corner of a building, and brough his left hand up in the following second, folding the dark green blazer with his free hand a little, revealing a cheap digital watch that was located around his wrist.

He taped on the covering plastic once idly with his finger, and his eyes read the time that was shown on it even in the darkness of the night. Watches such as this one used simple electronic pulses to measure the time. '_11 minutes past ten. I should make my way back, unless I want to hear Hidan screaming at me for the next week about having fun out late, and leaving them to rot. I should really just dump then in a sewer somewhere and be done with them'_ He thought as he unfolded the sleeves back, passing by and walking underneath a tall street lamp.

The light of the street lap illuminated the night around, while Naruto glanced behind him with one eye discreetly. There it was again.

He quickly averted his eyes as he made his way across the street, not even bothering to see if there was any incoming traffic. Naruto's hearing will tell him if there is any incoming vehicles just from the noise they make.

He made his way across the white zebra lines painted over the black, now greying asphalt, and put his hands into his pant's pockets.

'_I_ _wonder how will Issei be doing after all that commotion earlier, once he wakes up'_ Naruto wondered internally to himself, making his way home as he passes several closed stores, one of them a Tv store.

The boy, in this society at least, soon a man if measured by his age stopped in front of the large glass panel and watched as a TV reporter spoke in the news.

''An attack by knife-wielding man at a railway station in Kunming, south-west China, has left at least 28 people dead, the local law enforcement has commented that...'' she was of asian descent, that much was clear from the structure of her face, and had mid-lenght black hair that parted down the centre of her head.

Naruto tuned out the rest of it as he continued walking forward, but stopped a moment later as the TV started to flicker on and off. He looking back towards the direction of the store once more, before he turned his body around again and pressed onwards.

'_Hmm, he's good, but not nearly as good as a shinobi' _Naruto thought as he passed a couple of teenagers which were making out on the side with silence in his steps.

He made several turns until he reached an abandoned construction site, entering the area and passing by what were supposed to be the steel beams for the structure, easily large enough to fit a full grown man inside them.

Somebody was planning on building a mall here, but it's owners apparently went bankrupt in the start of construction from what he heard, so the project was cancelled due to the lack of support.

He made his way past the large red-brownish support beams and stopped at the center of the construction clearing. He upheld his head and looked towards the star covered sky, a rare sight in a city, even back in Konoha, but his eyes could see them as clearly as he could see the moon in the sky.

One of the light blinked away as the star's light ceased to reach the Sol System, with either another planetary object placing itself on it's path across the cosmos, or the star met it's end, either forming a white dwarf, a neutron star or a black hole in the vastness of the stellar expanse. Once a star like the Sun has exhausted its nuclear fuel, its core collapses into a dense white dwarf and the outer layers are expelled as a planetary nebula. Stars with around ten or more times the mass of the Sun can explode in a supernova as their inert iron cores collapse into an extremely dense neutron star or black hole.

Using his right hand which he brought up, he scratched at the concealed ANBU tatoo on his left upper-arm, a mark which's appearance could be linked to tribal-type markings and tattoos in this world.

The mark which showed the world his position as a member of the **Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai**, the ANBU Black Ops, an entire military branch who take orders directly from the Kage, performing special high-level missions.

The members of the ANBU protect the village from exceptional threats, conduct high-risk missions into enemy territory, and deal with extremely strong ninja. They are also responsible for carrying out assassinations, tracking, surveillance, and missions requiring specially trained ninja.

Some ANBU serve as interrogators that probe the minds of enemy ninja to learn information valuable to the village. To be a part of the ANBU, means to be a part of the best. There is no room for weak shinobi, be it in body or spirit. Rigorous training and many high risk mission will hone the tool that is shinobi to such a degree, that simply touching the sword will cut you.

Now Naruto just stood there, waiting as he could sense the presence of his tailer stopping in by a nearby corner, which was completely enshrouded by darkness if Naruto remember it correctly. As soon as he guessed that the guy was comfortable, he acted.

A small kunai was injected into the palm of his left hand hidden by both his torso and sleeves. Using lightning quick movement gained from years of experience in the one thing that he did best, he turned around on his spot with a powerful momentum.

The blade was already soaring through the air towards his would be taller with a small WOOSH noise, as it cut through the air at high speed. The darkness was a bonus that made it difficult to spot and block, so first blood will most likely be his.

The Hidden Kunai Mechanism was one of Naruto's favorite tools when out in the field back in the elemental nations. This item allows the user to instantly extend and retract kunai from their sleeve using a spring-loaded wire.

He would have tried to use this sole, unsealed kunai on him, on that feather-man in the coat that tried to hurt Issei. '_Che... what was his name, Dounashiku or something along those lines... Doughnutseek... Doughshaku... Meh, it doesn't matter now...'_ But his location at the time would have only resulted in a wasted kunai, most likely and highly possibly dead Issei lying in a pool of his own blood and him fighting against an enemy that was on alert, was faster than him and could fly. Oh and the man could also attack from range.

Now if Naruto held the capacity to utilise his chakra, he would have tried it. As it was, it would have been a foolish endeavour.

... now he could only hope that he didn't make a huge mistake with his most-recent action.


	4. Conflicts Rise: Wind versus Fist

**Disclaimer: **Oh you know...This super-awesome brown haired dude [I was originally bronzish-orange haired boy, it was apparently my Belgian genes], for a multitude of reasons that won't be disclosed at this time [Kishimoto you thief!] doesn't own Naruto.

Nor do I own the rights to Highschool DxD. Those go to somebody else under my radar.

**AN:**

**1) **Due to the number of requests, I'm CONSIDERING making a harem. The possible candidates are as they follow.

\- Kuroka

\- Raynare (admit it, she's hot)

\- OOC Inserted Character Karasuba 04 from Sekirei

\- OC character

**Revised on 10.5.2014. **

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Uzumaki Senju-Uchiha Naruto, or just Uzumaki Naruto as he prefered to be called himself was ready for the conflict. This golden haired, former demon vessel for the powerful force of destruction that was Kyuubi no Kitsune Yasaka, watched with a mixture of eager and impassive eyes as his kunai flew towards his would-be tailor.

It didn't matter if the spy could hide in the dark or if he couldn't when he went at the job sloppily as this one. One of the first real lessons for Naruto in the Black Ops core was to recognise the signs when you were being tailed.

This particular skill was both common place but never really discussed or taught, as it induced casses of EXTREME paranoia in some ninja. A paranoid ninja is a healthy ninja that will live into the old age, but there's a limit for everything. It required you to high-tune your senses and learn how to read these ''signs'' and most importantly, how listen to your instincts and gut feelings.

A ninja's gut is a shinobi's best friend following the kunai, after all!

The skill was very hard to learn and literally impossible to master, because nothing was foolproof in the world.

The senses of a shinobi don't extend to just the 5 senses of sight, smell, sound, touch and taste, but due to the mystical nature of chakra itself, they encompass small precognition and premonition, psychic insights, chakra probing and beyond.

At the speed that he had launched that particular kunai at, it would have been difficult for even experienced ninja to see, let alone block or dodge, so Naruto was fairly confidant that he would hit something fleshy with it.

There is a small number of mighty reasons why our whiskered shinobi choose to attack the man, or woman if that is the case at this specific location within the city. The space he could work with and the enviroment wasn't a perfect spot for such a task nor was it what he wanted by any means.

Not at all.

Most shinobi prefered dark, shady areas where they could get the drop on their opponents. Some prefered rocky landscapes, some forest and some prefered to do it by a water source, it all depended really on their specialization. Close quarters or long range, tools user or hand to hand specialist, elemental caster or an illusion weaver, trap expert or a demolition tank. Rock or Water, Wind or Fire, Lightning or Kekkai Genkai. Iwa or Konoha.

There was a number of reasons for a certain area being your perfect battleground.

For Naruto, it would most often be a nice open field where he could rain down with a barrage of ninjutsus, before going in close to finish the fight and proceed to talk from there. Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't even sure if he had chakra or if he just couldn't access it. He couldn't sense even an ounce of his vast reserves so he could only speculate that there wasn't any chakra to sense.

Trying to reach into, to delve within and seize a hold on what was formerly a veritable ocean of this soul-bound energy had proven all but pointless in the past year he was stranded in this world, reality, dimension or universe. It could be the future or the past for all he knew. Maybe the time before the Rikkudo, or millions of years after the Great War.

But then there was that little spark of hope that lay dormant in the recess of his mind. His Yokai Chakra, the demonic traits of his mother. Even if he couldn't create nothing more than a puff of smoke, not even an ember of the scorching flames that the Kitsune's possessed, he still could create a puff of smoke.

His Katon affinity was a trait within his demonic parts. His soul, his chakra, his blood and body. If he was fully human, it would have been classified as a Kekkai Genkai, but this was not a bloodlimit.

It was a trait of the Kitsune's, or at least the powerhouses of the foxy creatures, as some prefered to use illusionary techniques. However, there is a small problem with this particular trait within Naruto.

He could only control it mildly, and he still required hand-seals to execute all but the most basic of techniques. The reason?

The reason for Naruto's lack of understanding and control over his Katon affinity didn't come from a lack of trying, but due to the lack of teachers. By the time he had managed to gain sufficient control over his volatile chakra in order to begin training his elemental affinities, he had already been past the point of talking with Yasaka. She never really got to the point of explaining how to use their flames.

In short, he had already pushed her as far away from Ningenkai as he could. Even if the basics were nearly identical and even if the chakra behaved almost completely the same, there were still different nuances between demonic and humanic chakra. Demonic chakra would feel the same to demons as humanic to humans, but when you were a half-demon you could easily detect the differences.

Demonic chakra was, at it's core more raw and unstable than the generic chakra you could find in shinobi. True, there were certain clans like the Senju or Uzumaki, or even the Oni no Kuni priestess with chakra as, if not more potent then the generic demonic, but he had received his from a Kyuubi Yokai.

The fine control needed to polish his more unstable chakra in it's primal and raw form by forcing it to turn into Katon energy was lost to him, at least how the Kitsune's do it. He had managed to apply it like regular humans can, but there were still kinks to work out in that department.

Besides that Naruto didn't really have an obundance of time to waste on trying to think through his little problem. Even if he had, as a child or even a teenager, he was far more reckless, restless and energetic, so the thought of sitting down and brainstorming escaped him. Bar that point, there were his other studies and responsibilities that he still had and which were still present at the time.

He had to train with his Futon affinity as well, and this particular form was much harder to control and almost impossible to refine down to an art for anyone. Besides that, his time was also cut short with being taught in the ANBU. Naruto was trusted into the Black Ops corp at a young age due to an incident. In there, he was trained in things he would need in his life as a shinobi. He was being tutored into a perfect shinobi that wasn't a tool, an experiment if you will.

Training in various combat arts was a must-

Close-quarters-combat training, or how he prefered to call them torture sessions. Tedious and boooo_oo_ring mental facilities and tests were shoveled upon him, and this sessions were a cause of headache for his teachers.

Then there were those infernal and meticulous chakra control sessions and finally the delicate and slow process of learning the arts of sealing. This wasn't even counting the need for a certain level of social interaction, the need to give his body a rest and missions. This all in the end took a tool on his spare time.

Which he then proceeded to spend by pranking the village! Then as time passed by and he grew older, he developed some close bonds with his teammates as they spent less and less time training and more time out in the field, fighting for their lives, spying, sabotaging or simply acting as an elite guard.

In the end, he had pretty much forgotten the need to control it in a special way and simply decided to overpower any jutsu he could pull of with Katon, pouring enough chakra into it to light him up like a Christmas Tree to any half-decent sensor.

Katon was for wide destruction and for making camp-fires with Naruto. He had nearly perfect control over wind nature and almost top-notch control over his normal chakra, but Katon was still half-assed.

That's not even mentioning other chakra natures in which he was modest at best and pitiful at worst. The only reason for why he could execute them was his senjutsu training. His Sage mode was a mix of what would have been his Yokai Senjutsu and Rikkudo's Sage Mode.

His 'past-life' had a very interesting senjutsu mode, and that was even before he sealed the beast away in himself, and later on into the moon. Back to the subject of chakra control. There was far, far more to executing the ninja arts than the usage of mere handseals.

Every jutsu was a combination of flexing, spiking, controlling and letting your chakra flow through your body and into the atmosphere, water, earth or any other medium you wished to utilise. Over-time, humans had managed to create an easier way of manipulating chakra, which was why the ninja arts became so widely known.

Handseals.

The process and timing for forming, creating and executing a chakra based move was cut down to a number of different handseals. This was an ingenious way of using chakra, as even creatures from Makai could use these handseals.

Of course, they didn't really want anything to do with Ningen and Ningenkai so they left the knowledge behind after fleeing the Elemental Nations. There was still the small issue of different chakra nature at it's base form, it's core level, but the two generics were pretty close so such trivialities could be avoided and maneuvered around.

So with his time-table painfully short, and his free time being cut down by the wars that broke out, he never did finish learning how to control his flames with that Kitsune Tribe in Makai.

Kitsunes don't require handseals to execute their attacks, just a lot of control. There was a total of three ways for a Kitsune to use their chakra as an attack, besides enhancing their bodies and fox-forms with it. Illusion, Kitsune-Bi and Oni-jutsu (ex: Bijudama and pure Yoki)

He still required handseals for most of his techniques. Perfect control over wind natured chakra doesn't mean instant ability to use a wind jutsu without any added control in the form of handseals.

But all of this meant jack-shit if he couldn't access his chakra or if he didn't have any at all!

Now we come back to the reasons he had chosen to ambush him or her at this spot. The main reasons was to keep any fighting as far away from Sara as he could, meaning he couldn't go home at the dead of the night. While he knew he was already tailed and that somebody knew where he lived, he had no way of knowing if this was the same person.

For whatever reason they had for tailing him. So if the guy knew where they lived, he could try and use them as hostages. Something Naruto can't allow to happen. He gets pushy in hostage situations. He choose this location because he knew it like the back of his hand. Due to his morning training in the form of parcour runs, he passed through this place at least once every day, usually moving through this place like the devil possessed.

It certainly was not a perfect setting to go with his lack of chakra to use in combat, but it would do. The enviroment provided a number of places to give the guy a drop in a battle, and the surroundings offered plenty of items to interact with and offer distractions.

As long as he wasn't up against a shotgun he could handle himself. His reflexes were more than fast enough to cleave through an incoming bullet with the Kusanagi. The more the battle, if there was one progressed, the more likely it would be that Naruto could use this enviroment to his advantage and in the case that he had to retreat, as horrible as that sounded to Naruto, he could pull it off.

His pride would take a blow, but better his ego than his life. What's left of it in any case.

Now onto his kunai, the one that was just sent sailing. The equipment he was equiped with was made out of the highest grade metals and alloys available to Konoha. While not the ever-vaunted chakra-conductive metal, it was just as if not better in a battle of steel. The ANBU received the best of the best, be it with the personal or with the equipment. The kunai they carried didn't reflect any sort of light, as they were supposed to remain hidden.

Having metal that reflects moonlight is counter-productive in the field. Many would-be chunins have learned this the hard way, some of them paying for it with their lives.

The kunai was nearly upon the target.

With the speed that Naruto had launched it, it would take a highly skilled set of eyes to track it.

That, or the ultimate cheat-sheat in the form of blood red, tomoed eyes.

The go-to tool for a shinobi was as deadly as any weapon in skilled hands.

However, most people preferred to use them as thrown projectiles against their opponents.

The kunai is meant to pierce. It can cut, bit it was meant to pierce flesh when it made contact, as opposed to the shuriken throwing stars that while dangerous in a ninja's hands, were ment more for cutting away at your foes and creating flesh wounds against more durable of them. Over the course of the battle, these flesh wounds would prove to be a detriment. They would cause enough damage and make the enemy loose enough blood to give you an upper hand.

Against normal enemies though, simple genin and lower tier chunin with usuall levels of pain tolerance and endurance, the shuriken could be still used to kill with ease if you scored a direct enough hit anywhere important.

The Kunai was upon the corner.

Naruto's eyes narrowed towards that small speck of darkness as he awaited for something to happen, be it the sound of kunai piercing flesh or of it being deflected with some sort of metal.

Maybe even the sound of the weapon hitting the wall behind the mysterious guest.

As his eyes turned into fox-like animalistic slits, he raised an eyebrow as he watched the kunai float in mid-air for a moment, before dropping to the ground once gravity took hold of it.

He felt a brief surge of maddening pain go through his entire body. Pure agony enveloped each and every fiber of his being but he clicked his teeth and snarled silently, willing the pain to go away.

He ignored the lingering numbness as it wasn't the first time for such a thing to happen, but the intervals at which it did were getting much, much shorter. He took in the silhouette of the person who had been following him ever since he had witnessed that mess in the park as he or she actually picked his kunai of the ground.

''Who are you?'' Naruto asked with a voice of authority. It was a voice of someone who didn't want to play games and one whose patience seemingly ran out. Most importantly, it have the foe the idea that he didn't take kindly to being spied upon. His visual receptors managed to attain enough light to peer into the darkness, just enough to give him the outline of the individual in the shadows.

However, the man- or at least Naruto thought that he was a man had the strangest head he had ever seen in his life.

''...mrmrg'' the voice, definitely a male's voice murmured in the shadows as he observed his kunai with apparent interest. It wasn't like he was expecting him to comply, but he had to withhold a sigh of annoyance.

He was getting fed up with all of this. He knew somebody was spying on him, he just didn't know who or why. Was it really that hard for him to wish for some solemn peace after everything he had given up in his life.

''Step out of the shadows. I know I have been followed by someone for the last 2 days.'' The blonde commented as he tried out the good ol' lure tactic on this guy. It often worked against his opponents, who rarely behaved like a shinobi should. Naruto grudgingly admitted that this world's ninjas appeared to be better shinobi that most people he knew in his own world.

Keeping to the shadows, striking from the darkness, leaving only faint speculations in their wake. Many shinobi have died for the simple reason they were overconfident in their abilities to fight in a _fair_ fight head-on. Ninjas don't fight fair. It's one of the whole reasons that the Ninja Arts existed.

The essence of what a shinobi should be and how one should act, is to strike from within the shadows, never letting the enemy take notice of your presence, to move quickly and swiftly covered by the darkness, never to be seen, never to be heard.

When an opponent called his world's ninja's out, they usually complied, taking a step outside of their cover to exchange formal introductions. Such a process was, in Naruto's modest opinion, one which he partially gained from Yasaka, an utterly foolish and dumb action.

But he was an opportunist in such situations, and he liked to exploit his enemy's weaknesses beforehand. And he would never admit it, but he liked the rush of battle when fighting head on.

And what do you know. The man listened to his 'request'. Moving out of the shadows, he played with the kunai, as if taunting the blonde at his failure to dispatch him with a well-aimed surprise attack. The man also gave out a heavy chuckle.

Naruto guessed that it was supposed to be a highly menacing and fear inspiring-chuckle, because he didn't think somebody would do it for the heck of it. He guessed that it was supposed th have driven fear and despair into whoever was on the receiving end of such an ominous chuckle, in turn making them scared and distracted.

In other words, ripe for the slaughter. But to someone like Naruto, someone who fought in more battles than he care to count and faced the likes of Orochimaru, Madara and a pissed of Karasuba on her periods, to him it sounded more like a fool taking the bait he laid out.

He might not be able to utilise the ninja arts anymore, but he was more than deadly enough in hand-to-hand combat up close and personal. Naruto could stop a high speed object like a bullet fired from a pistol with only his sword. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was a nigh indestructible, semi-sentient blade, one which decided whatever or not it would follow it's master's will, the will of the one that wielded it at the time.

The beauty of the magnificent sword was that when it did, it followed the will of it's wielder through a telepathic link, instead of a chakra connection residue, and held a form of telekinetic connection with her current master. Which meant that, even with no chakra, the blade still had some fancy tricks for him to use.

A leg made it out of the shadow's, showing of the ...yellow sneakers with a butterfly picture on them. The ex-shinobi blinked at the sight. Another step and another leg followed, it's upper part hidden by a rugged, oak coloured coat. The coat seemed to have taken the brunt of the years with vigilance and most likely belonged to a museum if the way it was worn out was any indication.

The torso followed next, leaving only the head hidden still. The coat was parted open at the front, allowing Naruto to take a look at the strange armour the man wore underneath it. Besides several small plates over the man's chest, the armour was more like a muscle suit from what was seen.

The man took one last step out of the shadows, letting the moonlight illuminate his features. As if he was placing them on display with pride, to be gazed upon and observed by the masses.

Naruto did just that, wearily keeping an eye at any sudden movement that might surprise him. With his right hand, he reached towards his pocket, his eyes stopping as he tried to check if he wasn't seeing things.

Uzumaki Naruto, could honestly say that for the first time since he found himself in this world, he was baffled with no way to answer the strangeness before him.

The sight that appeared in front of him was stopping his own cerebral functions for a short moment as he tried to process the information displayed. Naruto took in the rest of this person's appearance and blinked at the sight that greeted him once he reached the man's head.

The figure that emerged from the darkness wore a long flat garment called a Rebozo, a cross between a scarf and a shawl, wrapped around his upper body. It had a yellow green pattern of dying with many fringes that formed complex designs. Upon his head, the man was wearing a sombrero, a broad-brimmed and high-crowned hat formerly used in rural areas of Mexico and still common today among mariachi musicians. The mexican hat was tilted downwards, and it his the person's facial features.

The man lifted his hat up with his free hand, the one that wasn't holding the thrown kunai. Doing so, he showed of his shiny, sparkling white teeth inside his mouth. A black short beard decorated his chin, with cheeks tinted red like the young Konohamaru, and intelligent green eyes which were sparkling with an emotion, one that Naruto was well acquainted with.

The love for the battle and challenge.

Even if Naruto prefered to take out his enemies silently and with the least amount of force applied as he was taught in the ANBU, in his younger years he just loved to fight, to feel the rush of the adrenaline as he clashed fists, blades and ninjutsu with an opponent in the deadly dance of combat.

Opening his mouth, the man spoke with a Mexican accent to his fluent Japanese. It made Naruto take a double take at the situation, but he had to try and remain as focused as he could.

''Ola hombre. It wasn't me that was spying on ya' for the past two days, mi amigo, solo hoy?'' the man denied in a cheerful voice as he tipped the sombrero upwards with his right hand once more.

His left hand which was not so free was brought in front of him as he looked at the kunai in his hands once more, before flipping the kunai up and down. His words made Naruto look at him like he was flipping it in his head, couple that with the absurdness of the situation and you get a comical sight to see.

'_The knife is a strange design, almost like it was an assassination weapon. I'm pretty sure I saw Parusha playing with something like this once. What was it...ninja tools..kunai I think'_ The man thought as he gave the human teen a more carefull once over. He wanted to test out some of his new equipment for blunt combat, and to see how good was he with sneaking arround.

He hid a sweatdrop at that. The kid pretty much lured him out here and almost got the drop on him with that sneak attack of his. His ego has taken a hit and he knew that his stealth sucked.

The kid was not even 18 for Christ's sakes.

''Esto es suyo'' just to mess with the guy, he spoke in spanish as he threw the weapon back at the golden haired teen with a shrug of his wide, broad shoulders. He was half a head taller than Naruto, but was much wider and more muscular.

He was once more impressed as the ex-shinobi neatly caught the revolving knife in air without even turning his eyes to glance it. Without looking his fingers clasped around the hilt and rotated it around so that he could bring it to bear within a moments notice if needed.

The blonde's eyes grew slightly cold as he tried to read tha man and his agenda, but from so little information it was impossible to come with a conclusion. Meaning that without seemingly engaging the man, he won't be saying anything, which meant that Naruto had nothing.

The man's appearance for a reason unknown made Naruto think of Lee. Naruto didn't want to risk and find out why he did, his already questionable mental health with the fact that he had an identity crisis most likely could not take that explanation.

Even so, he already let his guard down once in front of an unknown foe, and that could have very well cost him his life. It was either sheer luck that the man didn't spot his lapse of attention, or some kind of honour code from this man that kept him from attacking him, if that was what the man was after.

Naruto didn't know what else could he want.

''My name esto es Dasli.'' The mexican male in his mid-to-late 30's said as he made a formal bow with his hands. It may have been a bit exaggerated bow, with him taking off his sombrero in the process.

Without the hat, it showed off his short and black hair that formed a mess upon his head. It was partially spiked to his left side.

''Naruto'' Naruto said simply. He had some manners after all. Unless the mexican came in closer, he won't be able to attack him with the intent to finish it quickly, so better to play along.

Dasli looked up from his position in a bow and gave Naruto a toothy grin, the whiteness of them sparkling even in the dark. ''Pleasure to make your acquaintance, amigo'' he hummed as he awaited the response of the human being before him, his form still in a bow.

Besides a small amount of chakra radiating off the boy, which while small didn't give out enough to constitute a combatant, Dasli did not detect a hint of anything else. No magical presence in the boy, nor another form of inner energy.

It was as if the kid wasn't even there, and made him difficult to track down- It also forced Dasli to keep close at a certain distance since the sensors on his suit weren't calibrated for such small chakra reserves, let alone chakra in a human. He had tried and failed to remain out of his sight for long.

''What do you want from me?'' Naruto asked calmly as he moved into a combat stance, with his legs parted facing forward and his hands to the side from where he could bring them to bear quickly, one with a sword and another with a kunai. He clutched the gem inside his hand, the blade receiving the mental order from it's master and moved into a defensive stance.

Something told him that this was about to get dangerous and life-threatening, and he wanted to be able to react on time if or when it came to that. Dasli brough out a scabbard for a strange sword from within his coat as he clasped the handle with his right.

''Answers'' he responded.

''Answers to what exactly?'' Naruto asked as he brough the kunai in his hand in front of him. The guy will most likely assume that he is left handed and that his right is unarmed. Then he could spring in with the Kusanagi.

The kunai was in a reverse grip, made for deflecting attacks.

**Play: **Antonio Banderas Cancion del Mariachi Desperado soundtrack

Dasli grinned as he bent his knees. The power suit he currently wore was the standard TC muscle suit only juiced up with a lot more power. It offered a small shield against magical and chakra based attacks, increased the user's speed ever - so - slightly and carried a short range sensor.

His one offered a lot more speed but in short bursts only, and he had just added a small deflector field to it. It was small and untested, and it barely managed to stop that kunai from piercing his left lung, or at least hitting his armour, but it could go a long way in their efforts.

The Armour Muscle System Suit or AMSS for short is the standard uniform for the Templar Corp troops. Over the suit itself, almost all the troopers wore added military grade clothes, such as Kevlar vest, pauldrons and such. The suit is set to be replaced soon by something that the FI had managed to conjure up, but for now it was well enough. It's made out of nano-fibers and imbued with a small amount of Zero energy that made them undetectable to magical, technological or celestial surveillance, but clearly this kid could sense him in someway.

Pushing the Zero energy into the boosters on his feet, Dasli appeared in front of Naruto with his fist drawn for a punch. He had crossed the 10 meter gap between them in less than a single second, but due to the speed he couldn't see all that well. So he didn't notice that Naruto had tracked his movement.

''Yeeeeehaaa-ugh!''

Dasli bellowed an excited holler, which was quickly put out by a much faster fist making contact with his face as Naruto maneuvered under the extended arm and delivered an upper cut to Dasli's chin.

The force of the impact, along with the transferred and reversed momentum sent Dasli back across half those 10 meters, with the mexican ending up on his ass.

Dasli blinked as he gazed at the star-light sky. He could have sworn that he was about to punch the kid's light out a moment before, but now he was lying on his back. He brought his free hand up and rubbed his jaw tenderly.

That uppercut hurt worse then Soi-chan's kicks.

''Aou'' Dasli commented simply as Naruto nursed his right hand.

Damn this guy has a strong jaw.

''What was that for?''Naruto asked as some of his more child-like personality leaked through his serious face. It was hard to act all serious arround such a moron as that grinning idiot for some odd reason.

''Damn chico, what the heck do you eat?'' Dasli asked as he got up into his stance from before, looking at Naruto with a far more excited look. This was going to be fun!

Naruto twitched as the guy didn't even seem to register his question. The nerve of that guy.

''Ramen and lots of veggies''

''Should have listened to mama when she said that'' Dasli commented as he charged at Naruto without using the Zero boost. He still needed to calibrate some glasses to give him a visor to counteract that tunnel vision when he charged in at such speeds.

Throwing a left hook at Naruto, he was surprised to see Naruto bend with the punch and lean backwards along his arm instead of sidestepping or dodging it like any other male his size would have done.

For that surprise, he received a powerful back round kick that sent him away, but he rolled with it and brought his arms up to block the following falling ax kick from Naruto.

With another war cry, he pushing the golden brat away with all the strenght he had and all the enhanced strength his suit offered. Getting up with that delfection, he backtracked away from the blondie and reached for his scabbard in order to mellow the brat out.

'_Okay, the chico is stronger than me and seems to move like Soi-chan. Bad combo'_ Dasli shuddered as he threw a concussive shell out of his coat pocket. Against Naruto it didn't do much, but it did offer him enough breathing room to use one of his wind attacks.

Utilising Zero energy implanted within the suits, certain individuals can use various powers. It is like they were mages, but they used technology and brain synapses instead of magical reserves. Pushing a small amount of Zero into his feet, he rushed at Naruto, this time ready for all of his possible trick.

His brain was sending rapid fire instructions towards his muscles. As he pulled out his scabbard and threw it at Naruto he pressed a button on a small stick in his hand.

Naruto saw the incoming object and dodged it by twisted around the offending scabbard. With the corner of his eye he saw Dasli rush at him and by the time he turned around, he brought his kunai up to meet the guy's...wind sword?

High-grade steel met a translucent blade construct of ethereal blue wind energy, and the man grinned as he his free hand was encased within the Zero Wind. Punching towards Naruto's stomach, he grinned as he spotted the momentary look of panic as the wind pushed Naruto away.

The reason Naruto panicked was because that punch had nearly caused him to puke his guts out. That was certainly strange, he mused as he flipped over a small brick wall and extended the Kusanagi towards the man.

Dasli looked taken back for a moment as he saw the sword extend and head at him, but put it off for later as he dodged a decapitating swing, throwing another concussive shell at the blonde. The concussive shells were a smaller off-shot of the concussive grenade used by SWAT teams, but they were the size of a shotgun shell. They had the same look as well.

The effect is similar to what many FPS games have given to concussive granades. They distracted and blinded the opponent for a brief moment untill they got reoriented. Putting his sword away, the blade vanished back into the hilt as he reached for Naruto and tried to yank the sword out of his grasp once he managed to get a hold on the slippery teen.

Naruto quickly realised what was going on and mentally ordered the sword to retract, before flipping the gem towards his other hand. He used his right to block Dasli's punch which actually managed to send him skidding back for a moment.

He stopped and prepared to push the man away, before a blue ethereal energy enveloped the fist and Naruto was forced to use whatever amount of force he could to hold Dasli of. Naruto looked into the softly glowing emerald eyes of Dasli, an odd horizontal slit inside them as the man gave him a dangerous smile.

''This is fun!''

The amount of force that Dasli applied into their clash increased, and Naruto felt the wind pick up around them, making the sleeves of his blazer flutter in it.

His face was blank, his eyes locked solely on Dasli as his body already started to process his intentions at monumental speeds for a human being, his reaction time shortening as he felt adrenaline begin to course through his body.

''Is that so...'' Naruto hissed out his answer to the man's statement.

The kunai within his other hand was sent towards Dasli's hip, where Naruto intended to deliver a nasty hit to the man's kidneys. Dasli seemed to notice it as he quit the Zero output around his fist and sent it towards the deflectors.

The kunai seemed to have hit an invisible wall as the force behind the stab was lost, but Naruto could now overpower Dasli with his arms. '_He can't foccuss that energy into more than one goal.'_ The golden boy realised as he decided to go on the offensive again.

Pushing the fist away, he flicked the gem back into his hand and in brief flash of green and with the sound of a sword unsheating, he sent the blade towards the man's neck.

Dasli was once again nearly decapitated by the human kid who had more than his share of trick to go along with his style of combat, but a sword made out of blunt wind stopped the Kusanagi. Focusing Zero to his feet, Dasli blasted backwards into the air as he launched a Zero Wind blast at Naruto.

A human torso sized wall of ethereal blue slammed into Naruto who tried to dodge it, but the damage was minimal. It seemed that this guy used wind as a blunt force instead of a cutting force. That in itself was dangerous if used correctly. Orochimaru was a testament to the dangers of blunt wind users.

Rushing forwards, his descending strike with the sword was blocked by the 'Blunt Wind Sword', as strange as that seemed. Naruto tried to usurp his advantage in power by pushing his weight into the attack, but a surge of pain throughout his body stopped him.

Placing the kunai behind the Kusanagi, Naruto felt his knees buckle as the tide of the contest in strength was turned by the damned pains in his body. This was seriously a bad time for him to get sick. Taking a glance at his kunai, he could see that it had begun to show signs of cracking, and Naruto's own arm began to buckle from the increasing amount of pressure applied into the point of collision with the 2-3 weapons.

The smaller and heavier piece of blade was not ment up to hold up against the cutting power of the Kusanagi, not under such force at the very least, and so even if Naruto himself was able to stand up to it his defense was faltering.

Naruto grunted as he was starting to get pushed back in this collision, the blade of grasscutter cutting through his only kunai with practiced ease.

Once Naruto concluded that this course of action was getting him nowhere, besides a stale-mate which he was beginning to loose, he decided to up the ante by using his maneuverability. With a command, the whole grasscutter sword turned into the gem and he dropped onto the ground. Dasli overshot above Naruto and landed in a heap of rubble.

A moment later, Dasli was back and rushing at him with a fist cocked and a wide grin on his face.

Naruto stepped to the side, with a quick movement of his feet and used the force of the push Dasli was projecting to increase his rotational spin speed. There was a sound of a blade unsheating as his assailant's overbeared weight sent him forward uncontrollably, and just as his torso was at a prime location, Naruto finished his move and delivered a quick, fast and powerful back round kick into the man's stomach, kicking the man away towards one of the sand piles as his hand caught the hilt of the transformed Kusanagi once more, before sending the blade soaring through the air at the mexican.

Dasli performed a somersault midair, landing on the top of the sand pile and sliding downwards, proceeding into a roll from which he planned to push himself up and try to interject the youth before he could react. He grunted during the roll, feeling a small indent at the place where the kick landed on his techo-magical suit of armor that he wore underneath the coat. '_El chico kicks like a horse'_

The armour he wore underneath looked more like it belonged to the age of robotics that magic. It was a mix between a skin-tight suit, various enchanted armour plates that were invisible to the naked eye and a blue 'soft-tissue' which serves for various purposes, one of them is to ease the strain on his muscles as the armour was quite taxing to wear.

'_But this guy crushed it with nothing but physical fuerza. His muscles are definitely stronger than what his physique let's on.'_ Dasli acknowledged, and a small grin broke of on his face as he realized that this test would definitely be worth the trouble he was run through by his boss-lady.

He finished his roll and looked upwards, preparing himself to spring outwards in less then a second, but instead of seeing the sight of the boy just starting to advance upon him, he was rewarded with the sight of a palely glowing sword, the moonlight giving the Jian a measure of heavenly beauty, a beauty that was just about to cut his head in half, as it descended towards him.

'_Strong like a horse and fast as one.'_Dasli thought to himself as the grin became wider, his sword materializing in his hand from it's hilt with a pale flash just as he brought it up to stop the downwards slash.

CLANG

SWOOSH

The wind picked up behind Naruto as he tried to maneuver his kunai within the man's guard. His eyes caught the man's grin as the man deflected the hidden attack and kicked Naruto in the sternum with a show of impressive acrobatics, seeing as he was just in a crouch the moment earlier.

As Naruto was kicked of and into the air for about 2 feet high, he quickly performed an air twist as he evaded a thin and pale blue, translucent blade of wind that threatened to hit him midway through his fall. The blade did make a small cut, and Naruto stopped in a defensive position 6 feet away from the man that came out of nowhere and attacked him.

Dasli smirked as he saw the boy perform a mid-air maneuver that made his attack miss the boy barely, slashing at the sleeve of the young assassin's blazer and leaving a small gash that drew a speck of blood.

Dasli made a stance with his wind sword held up horizontally in front of him, and made a quick once over of the youth's stance. Currently there were no holes that he could try and exploit. Perfect. More fun that way.''Ela, my friend, vamos a bailar. Let's dance'' He rushed with his mid-level speed, not including his enhanced speed, and meet the boy mid way into their clash.

'_Dance huh?'_ Naruto thought as the wind around them picked up once more. A grin appeared over his whisker marks as he began to fight for his life for the first time ever since coming to this world, he will be challenged. His instincts were taking a hold on him and were overpowering the calculating ANBU mind that was all but imprinted on him.

The 2 sword wielders connected as the wind around them began to speed up, and Naruto's hair began to rustle with the change in the air stream movement. Time to see what kind of powers there are in this world. After all, if Rias is one of the people with the ability to use them, then he sure as hell won't allow the information to slip out of his grasp.

_2 hours latter_

**Nightcore - Clock Strikes**

CLANG, SWOOSH

Two fighters battled in a dominance of strength, a clash of blades. Wind howled arround them as the 2 swords tried to cut each other. One blade, a harness of the air given corporeal form. The other, an ancient treasure once wielded by the God of Storms himself, however briefly.

They were in a stalemate, when suddenly, the blonde haired fighter formed a grin on his face, confusing the mexican for a moment. Naruto then twisted underneath the 2 blades, and made a fast leg sweep with he left leg, at the same time removing pressure from the Kusanagi.

As Dasli fell down, he had the option to either cushion his fall and tried to back away after pushing himself from the ground with his hand, or try and deflect the descending kunai, heading for his jugular.

He quickly twisted the Wind Sword in his hand, which had turned back into it's cutting form, around within the grasp of his palm, and managed to block the blade. With his other hand, he quickly rolled to the side using his small knowledge about chakra manipulation that the Templars managed to pilfer from a few of their captives, by pulling his body while his arm stayed glued to the surface. Zero energy was incredibly usefull at replicating other powers, and small things as the chakra 'gluing' to solid surfaces were easy to accomplish as long as you knew what the process was about.

As he did so, Naruto sprang forward and swung his swords at him, the blade itself extending according to his will and tried to slice Dasli in half, but the man manged to dodge. The extension quickly vanished as Naruto considered that more of a hindrance than anything, and he rarely used the ability.

''Why are we fighting?'' Naruto asked with a small frown as his instincts began to recede once he realised what was going on. He looked around briefly to see anything that he could use to his advantage. While it was already clear that he was more skilled out of the two, he had no energy enhancements.

Naruto's danger senses spiked and he dashed to the left, avoiding a wind blast that looked like an identical replication of the Futon: Daitopa. He twisted the kunai in his left hand and quickly moved into the shadows. He was a ninja, and it was time to try and act like on.

It was clear that he couldn't be able to win in a direct conformation with this guy sending wind blast at him. He was starting to feel the strain of the battle, and he could tell he was slowing down.

''Tener pacienca, amigo. You may learn a thing or two'' Dasli quipped as he looked towards the shadows. Their fight has led them to a semi-built area, and there were plenty of shadows for Naruto to hide in. Dasli didn't have an enhanced eye-sight to help him despite the Zero changing his eyes slightly.

He tilted his sombrero to the side with his hand and looked around with his one visible eye. Even if he was having a tremendous amount of fun, he could tell that the boy was much more than he appeared.

It was mostly his enhanced speed with Zero that kept him alive. '_The chico loves targeting vitals.'_

'_What does that even mean. I don't speak Spanish'_ Naruto thought irritably as he made his way to the first floor, making sure that he kept Dasli's location in his view always. A hard and tedious task, but not impossible.

''Es e tu a member of the Keys of Solomon'' Dasli decided to give away some information based on his intent. He didn't think that the boy was one, as he was fairly notorious amongst their upper ranks for being a nuisance to their forces.

This was more of a bait to hear and locate the blonde brat.

_'Hmm, what is he talking about'_ Naruto thought as he stalked from the shadows, really wishing that he had some shuriken or the ability to use chakra. This would have been over far earlier in that case. '_Now this I can use for now'_ He thought as he approached an object... and placed the Kusanagi on the floor.

''No?... fine be mudo'' Dasli said after a minute of silence as he pressed a small button on his suit, and quickly jumped away from... a brick.

''Gotcha'' he heard from behind him, and barely had enough time to twist midair and block the approaching kunai, keeping a weary eye on the sword... that was missing.

Instead he saw his fingers doing some twitching motions. His sensors warned him of danger from behind, and he turned around while kicking Naruto in the stomach, but the blonde blocked and wrapped his free hand around the leg. He quickly brought his kunai down and aimed for the collateral ligament on it as his Kusanagi, glowing blue flew towards the man at high speed. He wasn't the best at using the sword telekinetically, but he could use it for simple movements.

SCREECH, CLING

'huh?' Naruto thought as the kunai in his hand broke, but he quickly discarded that. He motioned for the Kusanagi to fly upwards a little, and it impaled that stupid sombrero through the wall on it's way over.

''Mi sombrero?! Eeeey, mocoso, hand it back'' Dasli yelled as he broke from the brat's grip on his leg and used his short-range speed burst using Zero to appear underneath the oversized hat.

He ripped the Kusanagi out and caught his hat in his hands. ''Mi pobre sombrero'' He cradled it like it was a child. Naruto, instead of advancing to try and incapacitate or kill the crazed man, halted and blinked at the outrageous scene. '_This guy's screw are loose'_

''So tell me then. Who are these Keys of Solomon you keep talking about'' the blonde figured that he could try and find out what was with the crap this man said, and so he asked as he quickly rebound from his failed attempt to kill whoever the man named Dasli is.

Dasli quickly looked in his direction and placed the oversized hat back on, a grin slipping on his face as he cracked his knuckles together and looked in the chico's direction. Oh this was going to be fun. His precious Sombrero will be recompensated for the damage received with fist.

''A group of people who are after Maseramu Sara. We are the group that tries to stop them.'' Dasli informed him as he appeared in front of him in another burst, his right hand mid-swing an excited grin on his face.

The information caused Naruto to react a little slower than before, bu he still managed to block the punch, causing a small tear to appear on his clothes. '_What. Someone's after Sara'_

He quickly delivered s sweeping back kick in tha man's face as he pulled the arm along, and using his still incredible speed, performed a falling axe kick as he rotated around on his foot, nailing the man over his head as he tried to counter his taijutsu.

Dasli rocketed across the distance of 2 feet and a small amount of blood escaped his lips, causing his grin to turn wider and have a somewhat crazed appearance, as the blood mixed in with the saliva.

Yes this was what he loved. Mano a Mano, no weapons, just pure fists. Well fists and his suit, but life isn't fair.

Naruto tried to get him in a choke hold, and prepared himself to interrogate the man, or knock him out so that he could try some of Ibiki's tactics, but Dasli's body was enveloped in a small blast wave of wind, sending him back a few feet but still on the ground.

He leveled the man a glare as he beckoned the Kusanagi closer, but when it didn't appear he looked at it and saw that it was stuck. '_Crap. Fine. I'm better at hand-to-hand anyway. Kenjutsu was Karasuba's style.'_

Dasli appeared at his blind spot with that speed technique of his, and Naruto immediately ducked under the crescent kick, standing on his hands and performing a helicopter kick that just seemed to make the fool grine further, even though he received a nasty kick to the face.

The next 20 minutes were spent with the two of them exchanging blows and kicks with the furiosity of 2 lions. Naruto's hits came faster and stronger, and he also had better reaction time, but Dasli seemed to be blocking out the pain and damage caused if his grin was anything to go by, and was faster over small distances, even if his form was nonexistent.

His attack were wild, completely uncoordinated, and impossible to predict, similiar to Naruto's when he fought against the Sharingan users, as he used anything to create an opening and deliver a punch to Naruto's face.

Naruto could see why Sasuke always wore a scowl when they fought in hand to hand combat. It was very irritating to try and follow it.

Naruto flipped mid air and grabbed the bar above his head, twisting and landing on the semi-built floor above him and peered at Dasli, trying to analyse what he could about the crazy Mexican. Whenever Dasli attacked, his attack seemed to cause small cuts along Naruto's body, almost similar to wind needles.

So he had a sword made out of wind, could send varios sized blast of blunt wind, launch wind blades and could somehow create a shielding around him to slow Naruto's attacks down. He had a small but pretty fast speed tehnique and had the strenght to go allong with those muscles. And those small dome wind-blasts, that managed to catch him off guard several times.

It was basically a move that created distance between him and his foes.

To Naruto, that ability seemed similar to a Shinra Tensei, if a bit underpowered.

... well highly underpowered, but it wasn't like the man needed it. The only things Naruto could use and utilise were his physical skills and increased reaction time. Even if he healed the cuts, it was a slow process, while the mexican simply shrugged whatever damage he did to him off, or even healed it.

Naruto twisted his arm, the man simply twisted it back a moment later and tried to punch him in the face with the same arm. Naruto's punch came faster though, and he knocked out several teeth.

Also Dasli seemed highly tight-lipped about what he was doing here. He didn't elaborate on what he said about Sara and the Keys of Solomon, he simply fought. Naruto's breathing was starting to get a little labored, and his body felt tired.

This was going to be a long night, Naruto thought as he saw Dasli launch another wind blast at him. Kami were those annoying. He only needed clones and more agility to go with his skills and he would be a copy of Naruto in this world.

An eccentric copy, but a combat copy none the less.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A hand reached up and wrapped itself around the brown and curved cubical handrail on the side. The noise of clothes being shuffled was heard, not that anyone in particular was listening, through the dead of the night.

On the second floor, we can see a rather specific and unique sight. The picture that greets us, at the top of the specific set of the stairs, is one Uzumaki Naruto, who certainly looked like he has seen better days in the past.

His form looked slightly battered from the scuffle he was partaking in for the last 2 hours, which ended barely 20 minutes ago. The blonde's clothes are disheveled from the intensity of his match, and were noticeably trash-worthy, ready to be dumped in the nearest trash can, never to be heard of and seen again.

This could be evidenced by the numerous small cuts littering the surface of the blazer, making the boy look like a recent target of a particular S rank kin-jutsu. The brown jeans had a noticeably smaller number of cuts on display. The blonde haired ex-shinobi grunted lightly as he pushed his body upwards, taking the final step of the set.

Our favorite chakra-less ninja, was wearing a sour expression on his face as he trudged closer towards the brown wooden door, which separated him, a warm shower and a comfy bed. That would not do, not at all. He needed some well deserved rest damn it!

Even with all the stamina he had, being an energy freak not just in chakra reserves, but at physical laboring actions, he was no longer a near endless spring with the lack of his inner energies.

Fighting off a sombrero wearing Mexican, one that seemed to posses powers similar to shinobi back home, nearly exact, was not on his list of things to do on this day. But why the hell not. He already saw Rias appear using a time-space Shiki in the middle of the night, a man with wings that can fly and another girl create thunder with the ease of a Kumo shinobi '_Fallen Angels. Who would have funk it'_

Stranger things have happened to him before after all, so why not some lunatic with a penchant for fighting while wearing an overly sized hat above all else.

...who seemed to grin more and more as the battle between them progressed and literally didn't stay down, no matter what Naruto tried. It took a lot out of even a stamina freak like him. Especially when it was in the dead of the night, with 2 hours of non-stop battling between them.

The truth was that he would not have lasted much longer in that skirmish. His body just didn't share the capacities it once did. He guessed it was much, much better than having no body, like a particular duo of annoyances. Stoping in front of the door, Naruto reached with one hand lazily into his pocket.

...

...

Naruto retracted his hand with a blank expression on his face, and calmly, with no frustration, most importantly _calmly_ placed his hands, both of them, over his pockets, tapping over them several times.

'_Don't tell me...' _Naruto thought to himself as his hand began to twitch a couple times before he took in a deep breath. It wasn't like he couldn't pick the locket, it was one of the basest things he was taught at an early age as a shinobi prospect.

Just because his luck was like that today...just peachy...

And he lost his book as well...

...fuck

He decided to check his pocket once more, and a small breath of relief left him once a cold metal sensation hit his fingertips. '_Ah there it is.'_

He really wasn't about to try and backtrack his way towards the site and search for a key among the rubble. In the world of a legendary clan of slackers, whose males are renowned for these same words. _'It's too troublesome'_

''Come on, I want a shower and sleep'' Naruto mumbled as he brough the key in front of the lock. A small decor hanged of the chain, a cup of ramen, identical to Ichiraku's, it even came with chopsticks.

ZLING A small application of force, and the key was inserted in the lock.

CLICK The key was twisted once the locks were pressurised and Naruto opened the door.

ZLING Another application of the force and the key was out. Naruto massaged his bruised rib, feeling some phantom pains but not enough to cause him to halt even if he was near drop-dead. His pain tolerance was much, much higher than that.

The doors were unswung and Naruto silently made his steps inside the dark, unlight home, save for the small amount of moonlight that peered through the window at the end of the hall, in the living/training room. As he turned around to lock the door, a voice made itself present and known, forcing the ex-shinobi to release a small soft sigh as he pressed his head against the wood.

''Where have you been, Naruto...''

ZLING CLINK ZLING

The owner of the voice was definitely Madara. No human but an Uchiha could ever hope to replicate such a sound.

The ability to sound so flippant about the subject of the sentence and yet demanding an answer because the interest _was_ there, while at the same time managing to form the best impression of pure boredom at the state of the situation and fill their voice with disinterest.

Because Uchihas are measured shinobi who don't show interest in anything but being elite.

There was just no way for a non-Uchiha to replicate that effect. It was unique to the clan...it even took practice.

For one singular moment of that day, Naruto's tired mind was assaulted by the funniest of thoughts that he came up with ever since he had decided to _decorated _the Hokage Mountain Faces Monument.

That sounded awfully like something a parent would tell their children when they came home late and incurred their worried gazes.

'_Riiiight...' _If there was one thing he knew, Madara was terrible at parenting. Just look at Kushina and what became of her. The times he meet her, she was basically a husk, with no real emotions besides sorrow in her, and she tried to set a demon with enough power to destroy the planet with but a few attack free.

As much as he hated her, for leaving him behind and with no one just because he became a jinchuriki, he still sympathized with her. He knew just how crazed Madara was, and could only guess about just how much did she have to live with as a kid. He had lived with the man for a year and was highly disturbed by some of the things he has learned about the man's views. Like the story about them being the descendants of a God given mortality, and some kind of whacky story about ascending to the skies above...

''Dasli must have hit me harder in the head then I thought if I am thinking over things like that'' Naruto muttered under his breath, as he started to walk forwards through the small hallway, placing the keys on the surface of the shoe cabinet top. The hallway was small and quaint. The floor was basic wood layer over brick.

A fluffy brown carpet laid underneath the main doors. On the right, just above the small shoe cabinet was an oval mirror, and after that was his storage room, where his shinobi equipment was usually placed. These last few days he has taken to carrying the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi around with him always, and it mostly paid off, even if he did get his ass beaten.

On the left, the door's leading to the bathroom and the kitchen stood closed, and in between them a small calendar hanging of the wall. Naruto rolled his right shoulder once, twice, before bringing his other hand up and pulling the green blazer of in one swoop.

He was left with a tattered white, long-sleeved dress shirt with a black ribbon on the collar. This one also needed to be thrown away, Naruto realised in annoyance as he started to remove the shirt as well.

''...Such a waste'' It really was a waste. That article of clothing is the part of his uniform, and there are only so many of them that he has. It was really unfortunate he couldn't try and strengthened with fuinjutsu, it would have made them much more durable, and almost self-repairing. Almost.

While he was better than anyone else in Konoha when it came to the art of the Sealing, with a number of various techniques in his repertoire, he was not on the level of Kushina. The woman could create some freakish things with that art when she tried, some of the things that defied all reason, even in his world.

And hey, in that world people can walk on water like it was ground, breathe fire from their mouths, order the earth to obey their will, make the water surrender to their manipulation, and tame the power of lightning itself. People with the ability to see through walls and in a 360 degree manner, the power to bring back the dead and many, many more.

If something defies reason there, then it's something outrageous.

Speaking of the dead, Naruto wondered how did they manage to bring Madara as a living, breathing person back, with a pair of working eyes. As far as Naruto knew, the eyes in his sockets were originally Izuna's, meaning Madara's later on. On that note, the Edo Tensei was only supposed to chain a spirit of a person to a practically invincible vessel.

Madara was a living creature back a year ago, and he even bled, instead of turning to paper and wrinkling, before being stitched back together.

''Whatever you did Kushina, I really hope that nobody else learns to'' Naruto said remorsefully, releasing a small sigh as he thought about the woman. In the end, he could only pity her.

Naruto closed his cobalt blue eyes and took off the shirt completely, tilting his head backwards as the piece of clothing was brought over it, unsettling his spiky hair in the process.

With that done, he looked into the mirror on the side and tried counting the number of the smaller lacerations that garnished his body. He reached for the Konoha Hitae-ate tied around his right bicep, and untied the small cloth holding it in place. He laid the identification plate of his status as a Konoha shinobi down by the key's side.

Taking off his sneakers with the use of his feet, feeling to spent to crouch and do it properly, he kicked them off as soon as he managed to get his heels out. Turning right, he entered his Storage room and placed the, now unsealed Kusanagi back on it's rack, before backtracking his way out.

Stopping for a moment, his eye's fell on his uniform and a small amount of fondness entered his mind. Shaking the feeling away, he closed the doors with a soft thud, still not having answered Madara's question.

Naruto brough his left hand up to his neck and rubbed the delicate area self-consciously, wondering what happened with the seal if he had no chakra left. Did the cursed power disappear, or is the safely sealed and repressed with the power of the **Fūja Hōin**. The Cursed Seal of Hatred, by far one of Orochimaru's most hideous creations, was a very dangerous influence.

Like every other seal, it's based of Jugo's body's natural ability to produce an enzyme that triggers bodily transformation as it absorbed the natural energy in their surroundings, and carries a piece of Orochimaru's chakra.

The seal forcefully absorbs a user's chakra while giving Orochimaru's own senjutsu chakra into the user's body in return, granting enhancements comparable to those of Sage Mode. The key differences between the sage mode and a cursed seal are that the latter's users have no control over natural energy, thus senjutsu chakra in itself.

However, this additional chakra is separate and distinct from the user's own chakra, and techniques generated whilst in second level transformation assume a different colour.

Naruto shuddered at the memory of receiving the seal. He was barely 7 years old at the time, and Orochimaru managed to procure him under Konoha's nose. He spent about a month in his lab, being forced to go through the transition technique, a death-state in order to develop his own Level 2 seal.

Apparently, at the time he was a failed experiment, as Orochimaru wanted to try and get a jinchuriki under his thumb, especially one that carried a Kyuubi Yokai inside him, but Yasaka didn't allow Naruto to lose himself. He was later retrieved by an entire platoon of ANBU black ops members, with Orochimaru himself barely escaping, mainly due to his usage of Summons.

It's looks were comparable to the later, and begrudgingly inferior **Cursed Seal of Heaven.** The seal consists of three tomoe and one small circle in the middle, practically identical to Sharingan which, when activated, spread flame-like markings across the user's body. The seal was applied at the left side of his back-neck area.

The boy entered the living room, or maybe better called the training room in Naruto's case as he mostly used it to practice taijutsu, spending a considerably smaller amount of time in it relaxing.

The blonde looked to his right and could see 2 heads, the one with silver hair snoring loundly, with the other giving him a chastising glare. '_What's his problem'_ Naruto asked himself with a raised eyebrow directed towards Madara.

The Rinnegan wielder continued to give Naruto a glare, and followed the boy as he walked across the room in his grey socks. When Madara spoke, it was levelled with a tone of warning underneath. ''Where have you been,... Naruto?''

Naruto stopped in his tracks, and turned around, sending a confused look in the beheaded man's direction. What was with that tone of voice.

''Out'' Was his smart-ass remark, as he continued in his direction, with his hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out the leaflet containing the occult seal. He placed it underneath his laptop, one which he used solely for collecting information about this world.

As he did that, a teasing grin started to show on his face, and even though he couldn't see it, it was meant for Madara ''What is Madara. Don't tell me you care about my wellbeing'' Naruto said turning around, toying with his tone and placing a hand over his heart, acting all emotional. After all, if he was in Madara's situation, he was sure that he would prefer to spend the lowest amount of time in his presence as possible.

''...''

''...''

''...''

''Wow, really?'' Naruto asked in a faux earnest voice, deciding to push some of the man's button. That always made his day, and he needed some form of stress relief after the beating he received. Poking fun at Madara is his favorite past-time when in the apparent.

''Stupid brat, don't you get cheeky with me. I only care because you are better company that the grey-haired buffon'' Madara shot back immediately, the classical Uchiha scowl developing across his features as he vehemently denied something so ridiculous as a notion of him caring for Naruto. He may respect him because of his combat prowess, but that did not mean that he cared about the boy.

Naruto's face fell at that comically. ''ooohh...'' He even added a sniffle for the heck of it.

Madara's eyebrow twitched at Naruto's actions. Oh, he knew, he _knew_ that the brat was just pushing his buttons. But he just couldn't stop himself from trying to argue. If the boy wasn't Kushina's, he would have been ignored completely by him.

''Hn'' well better to save some face than no. He still had to exists with the brat.

''Ah, the famed Uchiha 'Hn'.'' Naruto noted, happy that he managed to get one over Madara. This was their usual routine. In the morning the man would be a sort of Devil's adviser, and in the evening he was Naruto's comic relief as well as a pretty good verbal duelist.

Madara lowered his left eyebrow as he looked over the smaller cuts on Naruto's torso, his eye's noting the 4 different ink tattoos on him, as well as the small bruise. Most of the wounds were already healing, as they didn't even seem to pierce the skin really. ''So what happened to you''

Naruto's face became blank, and when he spoke, there was a level of seriousness that nobody would ever try to dismiss. ''I fought a Mexican lunatic wearing a sombrero, faced of what I could best describe as a copy of Fuijin no ken, that can manipulate wind to some degree, witnessed a confrontation between Rias and what she called a fallen angel, saw a time-space rupture contained within a floating red shiki. Oh and I also met this kind old lady from across the street''

''...all of that. In 6 hours. In this city?'' Madara asked with a hint of disbelief. From what he learned of this world, it was mostly filled with humans that had nothing to do, a useless existence just blinking away as the time passes.

''Yes.'' Naruto nodded fervently, and watched as Madara's mouth opened and closed. He considered it another win if he could make Madara act like that. This world really was mostly bland, with the exclusions of technology.

Naruto=257, Madara =198, Hidan = 2

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Play: **Nightcore - Love The Way You Lie **_by Sanuksanan __サヌゴサナン_

Technology is the process of making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, and methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to control and adapt to their natural environments.

The human species use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment.

Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways.

For our favorite blonde haired, whiskers adorned cheeks resident ninja, one Uzumaki Naruto , it was still hard sometimes to believe his eyes. From his point of view, it was hard to comprehend the reality of this world sparcely often, and he had problems with adjusting.

'_Yeah right. Problems. The cars nearly made me jump out of my skin when I saw them the first time'_

With his own two eyes, he could see, just what humanity has accomplished in this world, dimension, reality or universe, whichever it was, with nothing but the usage of their brains. Creating and discovering marvelous technologies that are, today an integral part of their lives. It was baffling at times.

Humans in this world were physically much weaker, their bodies more frail and fragile than their counterparts in the Elemental Nations. They were sluggish and highly valuable when compared with Shinobi of the Elemental Continents, The Samurai of the Tetsu no Kuni, or even the Gelel Stone Knights from across the seas.

They made do with their wits and capacity for thinking on different scales. Their society has developed astronomically in the last 100 years, and reached a much higher degree than the humans in Naruto's own world.

In retrospectional state of mind, it was the only logical conclusion that could have been achieved and made. Since they lacked any obvious form of chakra, the one thing that allowed his people to evolve in such a way, to be what it was today, it was obvious that they would have to fall back to the one thing that made humans stand out and above other animals, not including Yokai themselves.

Their brains. Since they were forced to evolve along a different path, they came out different, but surprisingly the same, their society a carbon copy with his own at it's basic level, albeit with several differences in traditions and ways to go about things in the daily life.

Haahh….

Naruto sighed softly as he once again remembered that he couldn't use chakra anymore. He didn't even have any chakra, something that threw everything he knew about life out of the window. Living beings needed to have chakra to function. It was the essence of life, the mix of a spiritual and bodily energies. Human souls were tied to it for Kami's sake. How was he still alive if he didn't have chakra.

His hand reached for his neck half-consciously, not even registering the action.

Back to the topic of evolution, Shinobi could utilise chakra for various purposes and do things that would fall into the lines of extravagant, sorcery or supernatural in this...chakra-less world. Some of the examples of chakra manipulation are the usage of chakra to walk across water surface, usage of Iryo ninjutsu to fix critical injuries, regenerating lost tissue and damaged organs.

Some of the more masterful examples are the ability to create water out nothing, or pull it out of the atmosphere, bringing rain to drought if so they wished. Creating hills and moving mountains, changing landscapes with but a few motions of their hands and an application of this energy.

Earth humans had only their muscles and brains to rely on, to survive in the wild and to create their society. They were forced to adapt to the ever changing surroundings and requirements of the community, the younger generations growing up in the presence of High-Tech.

These were once again, the type of thoughts that lingered on Naruto's mind as he moved his fingers across the small keyboard. Tapping with his digits over the small plastic buttons at speeds that would make professional hackers green with envy.

TAP, TAP, TAP, CLICK, TAP, CLICK, TAP

He rubbed his chin as he opened a new internet window and got back to work, the monitor illuminating his face, it's reflection visible in his blue eyes that quickly darted across the screen.

TAP

He traced and dragged his finger across the touch pad, the device translating the motion and position of a his' fingers to a relative position on the operating system that is outputted to the screen, and tapped it once, twice, opening the next page in his search.

TAP, TAP

'_No…no…worthless… hmm, maybe…. This and that…. Back up' _He was a little disappointed, but was not to be dismayed by the lack of useful info. His eyes quickly moved inside his sockets, their gaze tracing over the screen quickly, sometimes skimming, sometimes reading at exceptional speed, the considerable amounts of data and information given to him by the search engine.

He clicked on a new link, redirecting his tab onto the next site. From here, he could one again try and find any relative information that he could take into account, but was once again dissatisfyed. No matter. He read the text the size of 500 words in 3 seconds, so he still had plenty of time.

_'…. Nope.. not this…. Okay, maybe I'm onto something with this… ehhh no'_

The drawback of this form of gathering information was in the fact that you can't discern what is real or false. It wasn't the spying skills, with informants and a spy network that can be used to double check the info.

Naruto had to rely on legends for the most part, which is not all that good. While written legends could be concerned as Historical record in certain cases, the verbal transition of them has all but blurred them from the truth. Naruto had no idea what was to be true or false, and the subject wasn't one he was acquainted with.

He didn't bother to learn about other religions in this world, and that included Christianity. It's myths and legends were not the things he learned about. He knew the bare basics of them.

There was God, a singular deity with power over didn't like Satan. God had his messengers, the Angels, creatures of white wings and holy spirits that carried his words from Heaven to the masses in the Realm of Man.

Past that, he didn't know all that much about the institution of beliefs in the West.

TAP

-!

Glancing towards the corner of the screen with his eyes, Naruto looked at the clock in the corner. It showed that the time was 6:27 A.M. Usually, right now he would be performing and conducting some form of training, be it a simple warm up to work his muscles out, hand-to-hand taijutsu or kenjutsu practice, maybe even a jog or a parcour run across the town.

But this time, he wasn't doing any of that.

He was collecting information, an act which he wasn't a particular fan of. True in the 6 months that he spent with Jiraya the man started to bring him up to date with the spy network, maybe planning on giving it's leadership to him, but he prefered to leave the job of inteligence gathering to the Intel Division (_Interu bumon_) back in Konohagakure no Sato.

However, if there was something out there, that proved to be a threat to his little sister, he would find it, and deal with it accordingly. There was just no way that he would let anything happen to her. It was his duty as her brother to protect her.

He would have a nearly impossible time in forgiving himself and coming out of The Curse of Hatred (Nikushimi no Noroi) if he allowed another precious person of his to die. He already lost to many over the years.

Even if he wasn't a full bloodied Uchiha, a fact that he is most gracious of, he is still susceptible to the Uchiha's emotions. He knew that it could happen. It almost happened when he was a kid, and if Yasaka didn't act then, he would have most likely ended up as Kushina or Madara, or even Obito.

The Uchiha are a people greatly devoted to love and friendship. Because the Uchiha tend to conceal their more affectionate traits, a member's love can be transformed into hatred in the blink of an eye if they somehow lose those closest to them. The despair of the experience causes a manifestation of unique chakra within that Uchiha's brain, impacting the optic nerves and creating the Sharingan "the eye that reflects feelings".

Furthermore, the techniques known to cause more advanced development of the Sharingan require extremely painful experiences that cause the user to delve into darkness that utterly consumes them. This path that follows falling victim of the Curse of Hatred leads the victim to do anything and everything to show the Uchiha clan's superiority and power, regardless of the consequences.

As an Uchiha delves into the darkness of the Curse of Hatred, even the slightest hint or mention of anything even remotely connected to the person whose death caused them to lose themselves will make them extremely angry and emotional.

Naruto knew that forming bonds with his condition was dangerous, but the bonds he had were the things that drove him forward. He could only hope that his heart didn't receive a backlash of these emotions once more.

But enough of that. There was a job for him to do, and he felt that the time was ticking away.

TAP

'_Let's see… templars…templars… holy crusades… nope not this...'_

The blonde surprised himself at the rate that he got accustomed to the idea of using technology for everything in life, even gathering info on such a wide-spread scale, something truly marvelous.

The idea of the world-wide-web, and with it the ability to reach for any sort of information at the push of a button, would make most ninjas droll at the thought of such power.

Knowledge is power after all, and in the Shinobi world this saying went twice over for everything.

Intelligence and proper information dictated whatever you lived or died in the Elemental Nations. How much info do you have about your mission, the location, your surroundings, your enemies, allies and targets, and just how much they knew about you.

Your skills and techniques, your quirks and dreams, beliefs and emotional attachments. It was a deadly game of intelligence gathering , counter-intelligence measures and efforts that was played in both worlds on a daily basis, the dictation of life in times of conflict.

While he was no hacker by any means, or even an expert at utilising the technology present before him, he could handle the interactive tool well enough for a man who's only previous interaction with computers before-hand was the beeping of medical monitors back in Konoha and the subsequent medical database.

The Konoha Hospital was the only structure in the village that utilised computers for data storage, and was the only place where you could get an access to a computer that wasn't a cashier.

Scrolls were much prefered for holding information and knowledge. After all, there a big difference between a physical record and some 1.0,1,0,0,0,1,1 line in a computer.

Scrolling over the vast expanse of information called the net, the blonde haired ninja clicked on any topic that he deemed somewhat reliably and useful, concerning the topics of Fallen Angels, Templars, Keys of the Solomon, or anything close to these topics. He also paid attention to the pictures, searching for clues about the Shiki design, or something that resembled it even remotely.

A small clue was still a clue, and it was much better than no clue, afterall.

Another problem was the vast amount of info that Naruto had to basically filter out while trying to find anything that might be connected with his situation.

TAP...CLICK

'_Finally, something. Let's take a better look shall we. This failed search was beginning to unnerve me. A Rose... Hmm...'_

Naruto's hand reached for the leaflet containing the Shiki Symbol, and the blonde brough the paper in front of his sharp blue eyes, eyes that reflected a smart and calculating mind. The person with that look in his eyes knew how to go about doing what he did best, he always weighted the pros and cons of an action when working in the field, especially when lives are at the stake, and has learned to never go into action without a plan D being present and prepared. Even if he would prefer to just kick the shit out of the problem like in the good old days when he was just a grunt in ANBU force.

Those blue eyes narrowed in concentration, the golden eyebrows sinking lower as the boy looked at the Shiki deep in though, comparing what he could see on the picture with what was presented on the screen. The Shiki on the paper was a highly complicated piece of sealing work, and it seemed to have a simple visual representation of some kind. A rose encased in a circular shape and crimson in color. Exactly like the one that he managed to glimpse beneath Rias Gremory.

He brushed his labret with the left middle finger, the pointing digit rubbing his chin in a conspiratorial manner, the boy trying to make sense of the mess presented in front of him. As he did so, a mature and strangely calm voice broke the peaceful, and quite frankly, enjoyable silence.

''So... what is so special about that sign?'' Madara Uchiha, the man who's name brought fear to the elemental nations and had the power to wipe out entire armies by himself asked, his face betraying his bored front, as the disengaged, but still visible Rinnegan eyes gazed at the picture with a sence of anticipation.

The man personally didn't really like all these technological novelties, well besides the TV. The amount of information Naruto has blazed through was making his head hurt. The man had a weakness for knowledge, and while Naruto skimmed across the text until his gaze caught something of importance, Madara read it whole with precision and in detail.

So with that pain beginning to throb inside his skull, Madara focused his sights at the piece of paper that his grandson often stared at over the course of the morning while waiting for the pages with the largest amount of information to upload.

The boy was sitting cross-legged on the white tatami mat inside the living room, his back pressed into and leaning on the small cabinet that was used as the head-holder over the day. He often left Madara and Hidan on that table, either staring at each other or at the TV that was set to turn off in 3 hours of inactivity.

Naruto shook the paper in his hand once in a silent question that went unanswered, not that he really expected the Uchiha to answer mind you. The blonde was silent for a moment, squinting his eyes as he looked at the corner of the page, zooming in with the touchpad and Ctrl combination.

''Bingo'' Naruto mouthed as the corner of his lips upturned in a faint smile, ignoring the Uchiha for that moment as he tapped at the keyboard in a quick fashion, opening two additional windows filled with information on one of the subjects he was investigating.

Taking a moment to pause in his thoughts, Naruto turned his focus towards the Uchiha clan Leader and waved the paper in front of his eyes, drawing the Rinnegan downwards and onto the leaflet once more.

Naruto pointed at the paper with his finger and asked, his eyes not meeting Madara as he read the page over within moments, really glad that even 'his' original eyes were good enough for something like that. Who needs the Sharingan anyway. ''Take a closer look at this Uchiha, and tell me if anything catches your eye or seems familiar'' the man with no hands, legs, or lungs complied with that request and did so.

Now, if Madara had hands, he would have scratched his chin in thought. He was by no means stupid and his eyes could catch any detail, but he was trying, and failing at finding anything special about the symbol.

Naruto rolled his shoulders, getting out the few kinks that have accumulated there due to his slouched position, and closed the window with a tsk, having failed at finding anything of use on the page. So far, most information he found was useless, exaggerated words and accounts that didn't make sense, but he did find one promising page on the web.

TAP

Blue eyes looked at the tittle in silent thought.'_ The 72 pillars.'_

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only 5 seconds, Madara gave of a grunt of displeasure and looked at the back of Naruto's head. ''I don't see anything in particular''. There was the barest of emotion in the voice, Madara being indignant that he couldn't figure whatever Naruto did.

Naruto turned his head towards Madara and gave the Uchiha a dubious stare. He honestly expected the man to figure it out quickly, but he guessed it was not the case. It would seem that without his Sharingan his eyes weren't all that special, even if they were locked in an evolved state.

Naruto frowned and turned his head towards the laptop for another moment.

''I'm going to need some paper and a pencil for this'' the boy thought out loud, the sentence making Madara look at him with a look that tried to analyse the boy. Madara often tried to piece together the mystery that was his grandson. Why did he fight for Konoha in the end. Why was he so apprehensive towards the idea of dominance, and currently, what would that accomplish.

Naruto ignored the look, already having gotten used to those piercing eyes, still enwrapped tightly in his thoughts involving a certain Red-Head and the Shiki. Even if the events he witnessed didn't concern Sara, he wanted to cover all of his bases. He suddenly placed the laptop on the floor by the spot he was sitting on, and got up on his feet.

'_Stupid old people and accursed Uchiha. Needing me to explain it all to them'_ he thought as he quickly walked into the room he slept in, his movements not producing any sound even on the parquet floor. He quickly moved towards his desk, on which he kept most of his school supplies, such as books, pens, notes etc.

Emerging from his room a little more than a minute later, his feet bare, wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts, he held a piece of paper in his hand and the pencil he used to write with, in another.

Naruto crouched in front of Madara at eye level, both of them ignoring the loud snores that were coming from Hidan. He put up the paper in front of Madara. ''Here, do you know what this is'' Madara didn't resist the urge to snort at the question. Of course he knew what that was. Every Shinobi worth his salt should know what it was.

The Fuinjutsu Shiki inscribed on the paper in a rush was incredibly detailed for a minute long work. It was a picture containing three concerting rings made out of curved lines of kanji text, as well as the regular Hakke construction of support inscription, 8 lines of straight kanji text that helped stabilise the flow of chakra between the inscription centers.

''Of course I recognise it Naruto. It's the Kuchiyose no Jutsu formula'' replied Madara with a tone of annoyance. He didn't roll his eyes, because Uchiha don't roll their eyes or sigh. But he was feeling insulted due to the fact that Naruto thought he wouldn't be able to recognise such a simple thing.

Naruto gave him a narrowed eyebrow, but decided to let the tone slide for once. It was too early in the morning to argue, and he much prefered the silence for as long as it lasted.

''Very well'' He said as he placed down the picture, and reached for the previous paper that contained the other Shiki. Naruto fiddled with his pencil a bit, and then pointed with the rubber and at the picture, the spots being highlighted for the man to see. ''Take a close look at these enclosed rotations on the symbol''

While he showed the man what he wanted, he didn't wait for a verbal nod of compliance to reach for and bring up the paper containing the Kuchiyose Shiki on it. The paper he wrote the summoning symbol on was partially see through, and so me made the two of them overlap together.''Now look here, see the first similarity between the two symbols''

What he wanted the man to see was the length measure between the enclosing rings, the fact that the distance between the 3 different circles was relative in proportion, and that it was the same for both symbols. There were also energy pathways between them on the Occult sign, and a number of some additional symbols he didn't understand yet, but that wasn't the point here.

The relative distance was the measure by which the formula would spread out the larger it was, but always remaing in the same general shape. The length and the distance between the various concentration points, the main 24 convergence overlays, was always relative to the size ratio, the longer the distance, the larger amount of chakra was that can be pumped into it and spiked into the Time-Space SubSpace connection between the summoner and the summoned. This in term allowed the more powerful summons to appear through the formed Time-Space Bridge, for example the toad boss Gamabunta, or the snake lord Manda.

The seal consisted of many intricate layers of Fuinjutsu lines, and it's main asspect was that it acted as a beacon, and a site-to-site transportation landing zone. While Naruto didn't understand everything, he knew a lot about it. He was trying to recreate the Hirashin from the ground up after-all.

''Now take a look at these concentrations of signs on the occult sign, and look at their translation to the Kuchiyose Shiki'' Naruto once again pointed at the 24 different focal points of divergence. He then drew 8 imaginary straight lines that passed through the same sign times 24 on the Occult Shiki, and it finally dawned on Madara.

Since the paper was really thin, it allowed the picture to overlap and showed that the focalities were located on the same areas on both symbols. Naruto tried to make the man realise the glaring, if not obvious similarities between the two signs.

To an Uzumaki, no matter of his level of Fuinjutsu comprehension, the 2 different Shiki had many similarities, and it helped that Naruto witnessed the effect created by the crimson coloured occult symbol. There were just to many connections and parallels in the principle design to miss.

''The Sign over here is a summoning beacon?'' Madara guessed as he looked between the 2 different pictures. He himself knew a good deal of sealing techniques, but he wasn't at any level compared to an Uzumaki in that field. His daughter has long since surpassed him in that regard, and it was clear that even Naruto did, if not to long ago. The Uzumaki had a genetic predisposition towards the Fuinjutsu arts, and could easily decipher some seals that would be considered taxing to try and trifle with by others.

To him, it looked like 2 different types of pictures containing a circle, and even when designated clearly and highlighted for him, it was still the same. One of them was filled with various small latin inscriptions and artistic additions, and the other resembled just a bunch of text lines made out of kanji. He knew that those lines formed the summoning technique, but it still looked the same to him.

''Yes. One that most likely operates on the same basic principle of warping the reality between 2 locations, allowing matter to be transported through'' Naruto acknowledged his own thoughts with a subtle nod and turned back towards his task of digging for information on the web.

TAP

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP I'M GOING TO K-KISS YOU…]

"…Umm." The first sound was the alarm clock which wakes you up with a tsundere voice, but it doesn't have a function to wake up its owner from his bed. That owner fell to the floor and has just seen a nightmare.

That's Issei. …It's the worst way to wake up.

He had another awful dream again last night. In this particular dream he was nearly killed again by a pervert in a coat. '_But since I'm here alive, it has to be a dream. '_ And then he remembered the ending, three different sets of panties that he could see clearly, before waking up.

Now that is how his dreams should end like.

"Ise! Wake-up! It's already time for school!" His mother's voice came from the stairs, just like every morning or the past two weeks. For some strange reason, Issei has had troubles with waking up on time, , and his mother is the one who has to wake him up in order for him to carry his ass into school.

"Okaa-san, is Ise still in his room?" That was the sound of his father's voice breaching through the house walls and doors. The two parents were a bix ecentric in their behaviour, but they were on the level.

"Otou-san, his shoes are in the entrance so he came home. Geez! Staying at a friend's house so late! On top of that, being late for school! That, I won't forgive!" Issei heard his mother shout back. Even if he had to go to school, he still didn't have to like it.

He would love to remain in his warm and cozy bed all day. '_But then again, school is filled with beautiful girls.'_ The perverted side whispered conspidatory and and the boy started to weigh in the consequences of both actions.

Stay home in a comfy bed, get several more hour of sleep and witstand his mother's nagging, or go to school, listen to the pointless dribble that the teachers spout on about and get a chance to peak at the Kendo Club in the changing room.

Decisions...Decisions.

"Wake up! Ise!" His mother's voice came a little louder this, meaning that a) she was getting fed up with him or b) the she has moved closer to the stairs or even started to move up the stairs.

"I know! I will get up now!" After giving a reply like that, he picks himself up from the floor and moved closer to the closet in his room.

_'Haa… My day is off to a bad start again. I feel so down… '_Issei put on his uniform while making a deep sigh. He had a feeling that this day won't be any better than the rest.

The conversation between his parents down on the ground level could even be heard up there in his room. The perverted boy felt like his head was about to explode, but it wasn't a headache thankfully.

Just a bad morning, like the rest of mornings for the last 2 weeks.

RING

That was the sound of the house door's being rang.

''I'll get it Okaa-san'' Mr Hyodou shouts and Issei could hear his father getting up from his seat in the kitched, the chair scraping against the floor briefly.

...

There's a momment of silence, quietness engulfing the house.

That is untill the perverted boy heard footsteps coming up the stairs. The footsteps were light and carried a plop sound after them, meaning that it was his Kaa-san coming up the stairs, and she seemed in a rush.

...

Mum's on her way! ''Issei. Get your but out here now!'' The woman shouted while oppening the door's to Issei's room.

While he was busy putting his pants on. Thankfully everything was covered or the situations would have been slightly embarassing and he would have felt uncomfortable.

''Fine, fine- give me a minute Kaa-san'' Issei said as he pulled his pants up quickly, and the woman closed the doors and rushed downstairs again. Huh that was strange.

It didn't take long for Issei to finish dressing up and getting his stuff for school. He usually prepared it the evening before, but he must have forgot to do it last night.

He shrugged it off. It wasn't like it mattered all that much.

He walked downstairs and first saw his father standing in the corner, looking frozen and unresponsive, with his mouth slightly widened, like he was in a state shock.

''Otou-san... what is it'' Issei asked in concern. After all his father was a really up-beat guy most of the time. This wasn't normal behaviour.

''Over here Ise!'' He heard his mom shout from the front door's and he hurried up to reach her, knowing that her temper was getting shorter if her constant calls that were steadily rising in volume were anything to go by. He enters the room and sees her standing at the entrance by the opened doors.

There is someone behind her…

Are you serious!

Issei's so shocked that he lost his words at the sight that was standing in front of his home.

_'Black-hair in a ponytail! The ponytail, which is said to be nearly extinct! The person who is said to be the last person with a ponytail at our school! That pretty face, which is always smiling! The person with a Japanese atmosphere! The one who is called Yamato Nadeshiko even though she is a student, and also one of our school idols, Himejima Akeno-senpai!' _The boy's perverted database already worked overtime digging up whatever info he had on the girl that was standing behind his mother.

The person who, along with Rias-senpai, is said to be one of the "Two Great Onee-samas"!

The person who is idolised by both male and female students alike, and a fantasy of perverts everywhere! [okey...Issei's that's a bit too much!]

"Ara ara. Hello, Issei. I came to check how were you doing after the wild ride last night, everything okay?" the girl asked with a polite smile gracing her lips as she rose on her toes slightly to peer over his mother.

Her voice sounds fascinating.

And then the innuendo of her words hit all three members of Hyoudou household.

Issei's jaw opens slowly, and then closes with an audible plop. He didn't understand what was going on, but the possibilities that were flying through his head didn't stop.

_'What. What happened last night. Why don't I remember'_ He closed his eyes in concentration.

_'Am i no longer a virgin. Come one sweet memories come back to me. Was I any good. How does she look without clothes_' He didn't know what happened, but if he managed to sleep with Himejime-sempai than he was sure to be pissed of if he couldn't remember it.

His parent's eyes had widened, and both of them continued to look between Issei, Akeno and the other parent, before breaking off into tears and hugging each other in the middle of the hallway. ''And I thought our boy would never get me some grandchildren. He's not a failure afterall''

Akeno tilted her head to the side, and spoke once more with that beautiful smile and the lovely voice. ''Oh, you don't remember. You hit your head in the park. I came to check up on you''

Well those words made a crash and burn out of his parent's hope. With those words she had managed to breal the celebration between Okaa-sama and Otou-sama, both of them falling flat on their faces somehow in the next momment.

Weird morning, but Issei had no idea that it will get that much weirder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following morning after the skirmish with the Sombrero-wearing Templar, we find Naruto once again standing in front of his appeartment doors. He was wearing, again, the Kuoh Academy school uniform, but his face showed that he was tired, if only slightly.

The damned insomnia that caused him to wake up at exactly 5:40 in the morning was making it hard for him to get any rest. He didn't even get a wink last night. Raising his hands up to his mouth, he used his left palm to cover his mouth as he yawned while locking the doors with his other.

Turning to the side, he stretched out his arms in front and behind him, making sure to pop his bones and shoulder blades. It was so satisfying after a night of adventures and painstaking information gathering.

Reaching down, he picked up his briefcase with his left hand and slugged it over his shoulder, proceeding to make his way down the stairs of his 2 story residential building, in which he lived in obviously. He was the only resident in the specific apartment block, and he lived on the second floor which offered a nice view of the city.

It was nice, cozy and most of all, cheap.

Naruto didn't really have a stable source of income, and he didn't really know what could he do. He doubted that saying he was a professionally trained assassin would help in that department.

Besides the obvious lack of expertise in civilian jobs, he didn't really understand most of the stuff in this world when he appeared. For now, he sometimes does a few odd jobs here and there for the people in the neighbourhood, but that was it.

That and the Orphan fund that he was placed into, once it was determined that he was, well without parents here. That was the same fund that had enrolled him into Kuoh, a high-end school.

He didn't understand why there, but he let the authorities handle him for now. He had needed to get reoriented first and foremost.

In but a few short moments, Naruto had reached the ground level and walked out onto the street.

He stopped there, taking in a deep breath and letting his eyes adjust to the sun that was slowly rising up over the sky.

The air was pretty clean in Hazama, unlike some of the other cities in the world who are literally fogged due to the amount of smog in the air.

Naruto then looked towards the doors of Sara and Tokiwa's apartment and a frown broke through his tired face.

Lifting his free hand up into the air, he scratched a spot on the back of his head that started to itch in that moment. He thought about how could he handle the situation that his little sister appeared to be in.

If anyone was after Sara, then in that case the safest thing to do would be to go off the radar.

To become ghosts in the world of today, so that they can't be tracked, but still have ample resources to work with and live a comfortable life.

That would be the ideal solution from his point of view, but would it be the best from the normal standpoint? From the perspective of his little sister and her mother?

Naruto started walking towards the doors with a slow gait, taking the moments to sort his thoughts.

There were, however problems with that plan. The first glaring problem was the fact that this society worked on different foundations that Naruto's own.

People here heavily relied on untouchable forms of money, things which left a paper trail and required a permanent job to pay.

I.D. Cards were essential, as well as credit cards and health card. If they dissapeared from the network of information, and left to live in the wild, there would always be problems of medical kind, along with the need for food, water and shelter.

If Naruto had the ability to manipulate chakra, such requirements and trivialities would have been easily covered by his own repertoire of skills and techniques. He might not be a certified medic when it came to Iryo-jutsu, but he did know how to perform it and couple that with his Senjutsu mastery and the knowledge of Yin-Yang release allong with the 'Eyes of the Gods', he could handle various wounds and ailments.

He could most likely heal anything below fatal and severed limbs, or cancer with the aid of the Rinnegan. The godly eyes were so overpowered it wasn't even funny anymore.

Comfort- the could be dealt with. Now Naruto could most likely use every possible chakra Nature due to his Rinnegan, but how well could he do it was the question. He knew the principles of moulding Doton but that wouldn't get him a big house in one move.

It would be enough however. Add some seals here and there, use Raiton energy for the machinery or lighting to make it livable in the winter or summer. Cut down some trees, work on some plumbing and isolation from weather and voila.

A mountain home that could easily be used for another 100 years. But he couldn't do that without chakra, and it would make it hard for the 2 girls to survive out in the mountains, especially when the monsune seasons came.

Similarly, it would have been a bad trade off to live in a city, where money is a must. While Naruto could pickpocket, it wouldn't have provided enough money for them.

Then there was the social and educational problem of Sara and this demolishing her childhood.

Sure, as a kid she might like the possible adventure, but that would be a survival on the run.

Children rely heavily on their surroundings during development and with them having to be on constant move, and most importantly, away from civilization, her growth might be stunted.

While Naruto and Tokiwa could teach her anything she would need to live a normal life one day, what would she do once it blew over. She wouldn't have an educational trail, and it would be hard for her to adapt to the life in society.

And there lay another problem.

Just how soon would this blow over and the situation with her pursuers settle down.

From what he managed to glimpse from his 'spar' with Dasli and learn from the internet, such organizations have lasted for far longer than this world even knew electricity.

If they lasted as long as that, then there was no doubt in Naruto's mind that they could be patient if they needed to.

'_This is such a mess... and Dasli wasn't lying at least... you could just see it from the way he spoke... someone out there really wants to get their hands on Sara-chan, and for what reasons. I doubt they would be any good. But what could she as a kid offer. I doesn't really make sense. Who is Tokiwa then?Maybe she did something to gander their attention'_ Naruto thought as he rubbed his chin in thought. He was getting lost in the possible plans and situations, what would he need to do in order to insure their safety and how to go about it.

He could ask Dasli for some form of protection as he seemed genuine, but he didn't trust the man enough yet, nor did he have a way to contact him in these circumstance.

All of this worrying was making his jittery on the inside, and he really needed to plan his moves out from here on out.

PHHHhh...

Naruto sighed as he decided to get it over with and approached the doors that lead to Sara's apartment. The least he could do for now was warn Tokiwa-san of the impending danger, find out and see what did she know of the situation and the possible reasons why would someone target Sara, and then proceed to plan accordingly for the imminent future.

One more day in the city couldn't hurt right?

Coming to a halt in front of the doors, Naruto raised his arm and was ready to knock on the white-coloured doors. He halted in his intentions as he heard the sound of the lock being unlocked from the other side.

Before he even managed to lower his arm, the doors were thrown open as one distraught blonde looked up at him in shock for a moment, before a megawatt grin bloomed on her face.

''Onii-chan!'' she exclaimed quite loudly and happily, joy visible in her own blue eyes and audible in her voice, making Naruto shake his head at her antics with a small grin forming on his face.

How he loved the little girl and her smile. He would really do anything to keep her safe.'S_he sure is easily excited when she feels comfortable with her suroindings...but then again, so was I when i was a kid. I'll do everything in my power to keep that smile on her'_

Giving the younger blonde an eye smile, a skill he trained to do ever since he was placed in squad 7 due to the lack of candidates that year and saw Kakashi produce, the blond bent down untill he was at her eye level.

Giving her one of his rare grinning smiles reserved for the company of his precious people, the boy looked at her in the eye, his heart warming at the sight.

She was his precious baby sister, and his only family in the world.

He defiantly ingored the traits that he imagined were from his and which were from Kara in her. It was his subconcious acting up, but he wasn't her father. He was her brother and he would stay that way.

''Hey Sara-chan. Can I come in? I need to speak with your Kaa-san'' Naruto asked the girl softly as he ran a hand through her hair. She huffed for some reason once he asked it and looked away with a small scowl marring her cute face.

''Kaa-san's not home. She had to go away early in the morning and will be back later today'' as much as she tried to hide it, her bitterness bleed into her 12 year old voice. It was something which was not suited for her in the least and her frown deepened as she fingered with the keys.

Naruto would have loved to think it was because she was not happy to be woken up earlier than the last possible moment. She sure liked her sleep, and sometimes reminded Naruto of a cat with her spontaneous naps.

Naruto's brows knitted together and he tried to keep a frown of his face at those words. ''Oh''

The word was spoken in a suspicious and meaningful manner, not that Sara managed to catch the undertone of it, being rather young and all.

Tokiwa was hardly ever home, and it was starting to affect the relationship between mother and daughter with a slow building pressure that would one day burst and leave them both in tears.

'_Could it be pure coincidence that she isn't home right now, just when i need to bring my concern to her and get the story. Especially after that crazy Mexican from last night.'_ Naruto wondered internally, keeping a slightly stern expression on the outside as to not upset Sara too much.

He would have tried to keep a smile, but life has given him lemons far to many times to count for him to sweep it under the carpet so easily. He had lost count of how many times he had failed someone close to him, had to watch his friends and family die, or watch his precious people suffer due to one reason or another.

Naruto sighed as he stood up from his position on Sara's eye level and offered the little girl a comforting hand. He knew she was becoming more and more cynical in her relationship with Tokiwa. But he didn't really know how to fix it.

He had insulted, degraded and most likely broken his mother's heart in an effort to keep her safe and out of Akatsuki's reach.

Excuse him if parent-child relations were out of his sphere of understanding.

'_I'll just have to speak with Tokiwa-san later today... I also need to learn what she knows about all of this... I doubt that whoever this Solomon organization is choose to target Sara because of some random choice'_ He thought on the inside as he straightened back up ran a hand through his golden mess of hair. He always kept it short, not even thinking of trying to look like the man who sealed Yasaka into him.

The current situation posed a small problem, but it wasn't much of an obstacle.

I anything, it will give him more times to try and come up with a plausible plan and the right questions to ask of the woman.

Looking towards Sara who was locking the doors behind her, the ninja smiled pleasantly at her.

''Come on Sara-chan. Let's go to the prison and work our daily sentance'' Naruto said with a hushed voice, trying to uplift the girl's spirits. He seemed to be doing that a lot of lately.

Sara cracked a smile at her Onii-chan's words, and they already managed to divert her thoughts from her constantly absent mother and towards some happier things. Like another story. ''Okay Naruto-oniichan, let's go!''

The two started to walk at a leisurely pace towards their destination, Naruto falling silent as his mind was already trying to come up with some plans that he could implement to keep Sara closer.

Sara looked up curiously at her Onii-chan as he stayed silent, wondering when would he start to tell her another story. There was a pit of dread forming in her, her insecurities and her bitterness mixing and making her scared to be left alone.

They reached the first street crossing that had a lather large amount of morning traffic within the first 18 minutes, and Naruto kept silent the entire time, simply walking forward, his mind elsewhere and only his eyes keeping note of his surroundings.

He was trying to think of something, anything that would give them an advantage or even a low profile if Tokiwa decided to go Ghost with him and Sara.

His silence was broken when he felt a tug on his right sleeve.

Turning his head in the direction of the mall, he looked down. The sight greeting his cobalt blues was a fidgety Sara, seemingly trying to avoid direct eye contact with him?!

That's... strange.

''Hmm. What is it Sara-chan'' As his eyes softened whenever looking and thinking of her, he asked her with curiosty in his voice.

From his height, he could barely make out the gloomy face that has settled on her face. That made him stop in his walk, even thought they were 10 feet away from the road. '_Did i do something wrong...Sara-chan, please don't be sad...it really doesn't suit you...'_

Naruto started wondering why did she appear to become so sad all of a sudden. He rather hoped that his silence wasn't one of the reasons, but with his bad luck...-

...eh, most likely it was.

'_It could be her mother's neglect that was making her sad'_ he reasoned as he avoided the thought like a plague. It was most likely that.

Tokiwa appeared to be a pretty busy woman and left on business trips quite frequently.

Such a strange thing for someone who lived in such a normal and dare say, modest apartment. Because of this, she usually missed a big portion of Sara's life.

And Sara can't keep up the mask of happiness forever. It was bound to break at some point.

Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder, and that seemed to do the trick of breaking the silence.

But the next words stunned Naruto.

''Onii-chan.. You'll...You'l always stay here with me, right...?'' Sara asked with a meek voice. It was not a far shot from her shy tone, but it was filled with hope. She was lonely and was pleading him to stay with her.

In that moment, she had found the floor to be quite an interesting sight.

'_Wh... Tokiwa, what happened between you two last night'_ Naruto wondered as his head started to ring with warning bells. His mind was on alert, be it due to Sara's plight or for his own answer, that can be decided at a later date.

Naruto looked at the the top of her hair, as he couldn't look at her. A sour taste entered his mouth as a momentary flash of long-buried memories danced in front of his eyes. He had failed so many precious people of his.

The Kuoh 3rd year put down his briefcase by his side, and then knelt down. He willed for his hand to move and reach for Sara's chin. '_What brought this on... yesterday she appeared to be perfectly fine'_ He would have to show her that he will stay with her as long as he was needed.

Not like he much else to do. But he really wanted to know what caused this.

Whatever it was, Naruto was not approving of the gloomy face Sara was making, so using his finger, he gently lifted up her head by the chin, and asked in a very considerate voice.''Sara-chan. What is the problem? What made you ask something like that, hmm sweetie?''

The smaller blonde tried to look away and wiggle out of his gentle grip a few times, but soon realised it was for naught. So blue met blue, azure and cobalt, one pair conveying the emotions of love and tenderness, the other, appearing so vulnerable and unsure that it pained the lone ninja.

Naruto was starting to worry... a lot.

''Will you, Onii-chan?'' she repeated her question without even bothering to hide the level of hope in that singular sentence.

Her voice said it all, and her eyes were staring to get moist.

Internally, Naruto was getting frustrated with this.

What was going on. And all of a sudden she started crying... he just doesn't understand girls sometimes, but he didn't waste a moment to answer, and the words came out on their own.

She was his baby sister, one of the few precious people that he could think of are still alive and amongst the living, not just out of reach. He would be damned if he let anything or anyone hurt her, emotionally or physical, least of all him. ''You don't have to worry, Imuoto. I'll be there for you always.''

With his other hand snaking around her shoulders, he brought her in for a hug. He wasn't going to question what made her so depressed or where did something go wrong.

He knew that it wasn't an appropriate thing to ask her in that moment, not when she was this vulnerable. '_It pains me to see her like this. Is this...is this how mom felt when I cried'_

With that tidbit of thought, he whispered into her ear, petting her hair like a father would do to a daughter. ''It's okay Sara-chan. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere''

Naruto could tell that she had buried her fact into the crane of his neck. Her little fists rested themselves on his chest as she started to shake, weak sobs escaping her throat at this point.

'_What happened this morning to make her act like this. She was never this emotional, not even when her brother died according to Tokiwa. What's going on' _

Her small cries started to moisten uniform once again, and he sighed. What was it with girls that made them so emotional. But that didn't matter. He could change clothes in school if he needed.

Whatever happened in the past 12 hours could wait for the moment. His first job was to make Sara feel as comfortable as he could. It was the job of big brothers to keep their little sister safe after all, and he won't fail again.

He can't fail again.

So he gently picked the smaller blonde up in his arms, making sure that the action was tender and that his grip was soft but firm. As the little girl wrapped her hands arround his head, he reached for his briefcase and straightened up.

The picture might look a bit awkward for others, but he didn't care at the moment.

Giving her head a kiss, Naruto whispered his promise to her.

It was something that he would always work for and never back down from.

It was his oath of a shinobi and his nindo, his Ninja way.

He maybe an ANBU Assassin. He maybe a General and he maybe a Sage.

But most of all he's a Protector.

''I'll staw with you, always. And I will keep you safe Sara. That's a promise of a lifetime''

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play:** Maksim • Child In Paradise (Pure)

Issei did a non-comical grunt to himself as he walked across the street with his eyes closed. A small hiss escapes his lips as he squints the eyelids over them. He decided to bring his left arm up and place an obstacle in the ways of the sunshine rays as they bounced off various glass-like objects in the town.

Like the store window, for an example.

Issei really wished for the ability to take out the sun sometimes. He was never a morning person and would rather prefer staying asleep for a good hour or two more than he could. Regrettably, he was not going to be at that level of strength for a very long time, if ever...

As it was per the usual morning routine, he was still half-asleep with one leg in the grave as he made his way towards the Academy, the exposure to the sun making him weak and cumbersome. He opened his eyes behind the cover of the shade provided by his arm and looked down towards the ground, where he spotted a pair of female feet leading him forward.

He could guess that they were fairly close to the school building, judging by the time passes since their embarkation on the way. With each step closer that the notorious pervert made, he felt his insides churn and warn him of impeding danger, a familiar weight of oppressive intent settling upon his shoulders as he walked the walk known as 'The Morning Trip to School'.

This small timeframe can result in various expressions of it's takers and obliged subjects, ranging from drowsiness and carelessness, to loathing, hysteria, joy, and depression.

This is due to the reality that you will be stuck behind a school desk for the ensuing eight hours and listen to adults drone on and on about a subject, that you most likely don't give two squats about. To kids, this is seen as a waste of time and energy.

This walk is supposed to be calm and inviting, delivering a measure of peace that will relieve you of the bubbling tension add the build up of stress, making you feel free and lighthearted by the time you step into the educational building.

Issei took one look around himself once he found enough energy to do so... and promptly closed up on the inside. Such a peaceful morning had escaped Issei's grasp the moment Akeno-senpai appeared on his front doors.

The evidence to support his theory could be seen as clear as day as the duo walked past the school gates, one of them with an air of nonchalance, the other weary as they made their way forward.

Issei tried to regain his composure, he tried, desperately so, to remain calm and collected in his current situation, but as they made their way, step by step, he felt a cringe by cringe.

Let it be known that Issei is not a coward... but he rather has a good sense of self preservation as long as he doesn't think about anything perverted.

For some reason, all logical capabilities escape his grasp once he is in such a situation.

Still, Issei was having a hard time standing tall and strong as he followed silently after his...companion. The reason for his troubles was twofold, and one side of the coin was the way the other students, male and female alike, looked at him, all of them seemingly sharing the same thoughts.

He could see it in their eyes, and in their expressions, as they watched him, looking through him and spearing through his very soul, believing that he was some sort of waste of space and human life.

The usually perverted boy took his time in gauging everyone's reactions, his eyes taking in the expressions on the students faces with discretion. He knew, oh he knew on an instinctual level that any sudden movement could provoke the beasts and cause them to attack him.

Yes people, the extent of Issei's paranoia due to the Killing Intent generated by them was reaching such levels, at the sudden attention.

That, or it could be the lack of decent sleep... you never know.

Their gazes were stern and cold, their eyes taking on an icy tint with a touch of frostyness. The boy shivered internally as he made his way through the courtyard. As he came across more and more students, Issei could see different variations of emotions swirling inside them.

Most of them, the ones who weren't trying to glare a hole through his head, had disbelief and sorrow written over them. Then there were the 1st year females, their gazes promising pain and torture in the case that he did anything to their bellowed ''Onee-sama''.

Yes...the walk to the school, was anything but a relief of the stress

Issei could feel the chills as they traveled up and down, down and up his spine, as every single member of the male high-school student body looked at him with narrowed eyes, as if he was a piece of meat. They made Issei feel small, as if he was under the gaze of a predators. Of many predators.

Unfortunately, that can't be helped.

Because right next to him, _him_ is one of their school's idols, Himejima-senpai. And he was walking like her servant because he was carrying her bag.

There was a sudden pressure in the air as the glares intensified upon him. Issei promptly ignored the uncomfortable sensation, least he curled up in a ball.

"Why is someone like him…" Issei heard a boy with non-descript brown hair mutter. He looked at him with his eyes and could see the boy shaking his head. The male also wore a disgusted scowl on his face, and his friends seemed to share the sentiment.

"Why is someone vulgar like him next to Akeno-oneesama…" Issei looked at the source of the sentence, his eyes looking towards his left side, where he could see a beautiful platinum haired girl whispering to a few of her friends, and Issei didn't like the dangerous undertone that it carried.

Issei could probably have heard what she spoke next if it was nighttime, but from the distance he was, the boy could not, so he was unable to hear the rest. However, the air around him suddenly started to get colder and colder, as he walked along with Himejima-senpai

Soon enough, high-pitched screams are emitted from both boys and girls, the shrieks penetrating the morning air from every possible direction, be it north or south, east or west, and these shouts were accompanied with words of bloody murder.

This ensuing commotion attracted even more students to the area, the young members of the society eager to see what could have caused such a ruckus. Indignant squawks followed this action, most of them forming from the throats of the female population, due to the heretical picture before them. There eves a few students who had fainted because of the shock.

Truly, the pervert must have drugged Akeno-oneesama, for her to allow such trash in her presence is unbecoming of her stature. There was just nothing else that they could think, no events that could have justified this outcome.

_'Is it that bad!? Is it that bad for me to walk besides Senpai!?' _even without reading their thoughts, Issei could tell what they were thinking, if the expressions on their faces and the stutters of denials were anything to go by. That, and the rather loud denials were hard to miss.

They walked through the school entrance, and then split at the said entrance, as both were about to head into different parts of the building, meaning that they were about to take different directions. Himejima-senpai turned around in the empty hallway and smiled that lovely smile of hers at Issei, her hands clasped in front of her in a diminutive pose.

She could see that he was looking for answers, by the way he was staring at her, but she was not going to be the one to give him the answers.

She then moved closer towards him, taking one step, two steps. Issei's heart began racing faster in his chest. He could feel his body temperature rising. '_Is Himejima-senpai going to kiss me... she looks so beautiful and her chest... hehe...SCORE! Issei.'_

''Thank you Issei, could you kindly hand me my bag'' She said looking at him directly in to the eye, and Issei found himself trapped within those orbs for a moment. Unable to speak, unable to utter a sound. The only thing going through his mind was the attempt at comprehending her beauty, and the subservient system crash that followed this incapability.

He nodded mutely, handing the girl her bag.

"Buchou will send someone to get you. Let's meet again later." She said in her delightful tone of voice, her words flowing into Issei's ears, as the boy looked at her even more strangely. The great 'Onee-sama' of Kuoh Academy turned around here, and walked away humming a tune.

'_Send someone? ...Buchou...What does she mean with that..we'll see each other later..?' _Issei wondered with a decent level of confusion at the events that portrayed ever since he woke up this morning as he followed Akeno's rear end with his eyes, taking a hormonal delight in the small sway that it had as the beauty walked away.

However, the boy jerked away from his staring from the strange intent radiating from other students. They didn't seem to be too happy with him. If he didn't know better he would have thought they wanted to harm little old him...

Still, currently, it was self-survival first, continuation of the species second...somehow...

It took him about 5 minutes to reach the classroom as he thought over the meaning of her words, but came with no real reasoning. He made subtle movements, in order to avoid and evade larger gathering of girls.

The combined glares that they sent him today were enough to cow even a super-pervert of his stature down. They were much, much worse than normal. His hand reached for the door, and he allowed himself to exhale a breath he didn't know he was holding.

He survived. He was safe

He chuckled nervously, as he applied pressure to the knob, opening the doors to the class. As his foot made it's way inside the room, he noticed that everyone was staring at him. Every single boy and girl, looked at him with their eyes, some of them confused, some of them shocked, a few of them angry. _'Well, that's be normal, since I was with Akeno-senpai.'_

There was this one girl though, that was laughing maniacally, as light reflected of her big round glasses ominously.

''...''

Yeah, Issei was going to keep his distance from her.

BANG!

Someone hits his head from behind. When Issei turned around, Matsuda is standing there. Motohama is beside Matsuda as well. Matsuda's eyes were showing a mix of emotions ranging between betrayal and unrestrained anger, with a tad bit of jealousy

"Give me an explanation!" Matsuda shouts while crying. From his expression, Issei can guess what he wants to say. But he was still staring at them with a strange face, because truthfully, he had no idea what happened there.

"Until yesterday, we were the "Unpopular Alliance" comrades!" Matsuda shouts as he points a shaking fist at him, teeth gnashing in frustration and rage. He sure can be scary at times.

"Ise, first of all explain it to us. What happened after we split?" Unlike Matsuda who is furious, Motohama is acting all calm while fixing his glasses, although his eyes are really sharp.

Both of them were scaring he was about to answer, their teacher pushed past the 2 boys. That class was spent by Issei trying to figure out how to word his response to them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

WRUUM

-a brown truck races down the street, shooting past several pedestrians and a duo of specific blondes, a certain due which we have been following for the last three days.

The scene drew a small amount of attention, but was nothing special and people simply dismissed it. The only people who took a closer look at them were parents that believed them to be siblings, and a single old lady that Naruto waved at as he moved past her.

Naruto took in the morning life with a small smile on his face as he moving down the street, one arm on Sara's back, holding her closer to him, and the other acting as a seat for the little blonde girl.

The whiskered boy looked at the sky curiously as he released a soft chuckle. The vibrations produced in his chest did nothing to wake up the snoring child in his arms. He found the snoring cute, especially the way her cheeks were puffed out due to them being pressed at him.

He had long ago cleaned her face from the tears.

The boy returned to gazing at the clouds, which today looked especially puffy. If the weather forecast was to be believed, later today the clouds would block out the sky. No matter.

The blonde ninja carried the sleeping Sara ever since her little emotional escapade thirty minutes ago, since he didn't mind it much. Sara was one of his precious people, and had managed to worm her way into his heart when he tried his best to keep it closed off. Ever since, his life was better, much much better.

It was peaceful. There was no war. There was no pressure on him to stop Madara from freeing the Jubi. There was no need to worry about ordering his troops, wondering if the next set of orders will result in a disaster.

He wasn't the Hokage, but he was one of the six commanding generals of the Great Hidden Villages Alliance, the Allied Shinobi forces

On the corner of his eye he could see a few locks of blonde hair blowing with the wind. His hand snaked around and patted the hair back onto the head, the gesture, one of affection. He took a deep breath, and then released it shallowly, the lines on his face hardening ever so slightly, as he adopted a concentrated expression.

_'What could have happened before. Sara's not prone to think little of her mother. Did this just have to happen now..._' On the contrary. The little blonde child in his arm was usually quite understandable of the situation she and her mother were, since she practically latched onto Naruto for back-up.

But the girl was still a child, and could go only so long without parental support in her life.

Naruto looked to the right, then to the left and crossed the street over the white pedestrian crossing, holding Sara in his arms gently as he made his way closer toward the Kuoh Academy.

The ninja yawned once as he reached the end of the crossing, stepping back up on the side-walk. He spent the rest of the walk, which was a few minutes at best thinking over the information, mostly useless junk that he found. There were a few things that stood out, and he could read in between the lines to get the truth, but it was only so much that he could do.

Naruto Uzumaki was not a prodigy that comes once in a generation, nor was he born overly smart. He could say that with pride, because it meant that he had to work his head through serious headaches to reach the level of intelligence he was at today.

Even his knowledge of fuinjutsu wasn't all that Natural as opposed to other Uzumaki. The Uzumaki blood inside him was highly polluted with other blood lines, resulting in a lesser expression of knowledge.

He had to, again, study..study..and study constantly to get to where he was today with the Sealing arts. The Uzumaki blood just helped a little at identifying the right knowledge once he already had it.

''Sara-chan'' a whisper

...

''Sara-chan'' another whisper and a little nudge

...snoore..

A quirk of lips, another nudge. ''Sara-chan''

Naruto whispered into his sisters' ear as he stopped across the street separating them and the entrance to the Academy. The ninja eyed the entrance and the glanced at the girl in his arms, who was slowly waking up.

Another nudge.

..snoore.. groan

Hey no matter how much he liked holding her like this, or as much he wanted to help her with whatever happened this morning, it would have to wait. She had school first. He could always talk to her during lunch period.

Maseramu Sara stirred, but didn't consider waking up was acceptable in her current state. Her latest resting place was far, far to warm and comfortable for her to even think of removing herself from it. She liked napping.

Naruto couldn't help but grin at her unresponsiveness. She just loved napping, especially sleeping like that in his arms. She was like a cat when she slept, and it was always amusing trying to detach her from him, but he didn't have much of a choice right now.

She had to go to class, at least for today. Depending on what he learned from Tokiwa, it might very well be their last day in the city.

''Sara-chan...sweatheart, we're at the school...you have to wake up'' the ninja said out loud, deciding that he would be unable to weak her up with whispers alone, as his left hand poked her ribs gently.

He was close to turning up the threat level and beginning to tickle her as he took a closer look at the commotion inside the academy walls. From where he stood, he could see just past the gates and straight towards the entrance into the building.

Issei appeared...subdued. He was walking behind Akeno Himejima, holding her backpack in his hands. Naruto could detect the faint Harmful intent from where he was, his ninja sense catching onto it rather easily.

Leaning his head to the side a little, he strained his ear as he tried to catch coherent words from the chatter of the students. Naruto sweatdropped once he managed to discern them apart, shaking his head in disbelief.

The swears, the indignant cries of disbelief.

Shaking his head at the most recent development in a the perverts life, the boy focused on his sister once more.

''Sara-chan'' a whisper

Stir..stir..mumble..snoore

A twitch of an eye.

'_Very well Sara-chan, you leave me no choice'_ Naruto though solemnly as he prepared himself to the ensuing verbal assault on his ears. The girls' squeaks could be quite loud after all.

Beware the tickle.

MWUHAHAHaha!

''HAHA, ONII-CHAN ! STOP IT, I'm AWAKE, I'm AWAKE, STOP IT. HAHAHA''

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[CENTRAL MEMORY BANK]

[PROCESSOR DRIVE V-7a][OPENING DATABANKS][SEARCHING FILES]

[CLASSIFIED INFORMATION][CHECKING AUTHORIZATION]

[ACCESS DENIED...][DECRIPTION KEY UPLOAD... BREAK-IN COMMENCING]

[ACCESS DENIED...]

[UNARTHORIZED BREAK-IN DETECED]

[DEPLOYING FIREWALL COUNTER-MEASURES]

[ACCESS DENIED...]

[HACKING 37% SUCCESFULL, ACCESING FILES]

[PURGING BASE DATA AND DETACHING THE WORM PROGRAMME]

**Mt Shikaga - Enhanced Human Defense Initiative site** – [INFORMATION REDACTED UNDER EHDI INTELIGENCE ORDER: 512998][DECLASSIFICATION PENDING...] _Nest Station  
_

_TC officers: Liuetenant Dasli Muehinate [Frontal Assault Unit] Zero Energy Specialist and the head of R&amp;D wing at Nest Station._


	5. The Sun Before The Rain

**Disclaimer: **What...the documents with which I would have managed to usurp Kushimoto's reign over Shippuden Shonen Manga have been destroyed when somebody who looked supsiciosly like Sasuke spilled fine wine over them. We all know that the show is supposed to be called Sasuke instead of Naruto. With the Uchihas being able to swap the biju and eyes like socks they are the center of the story.

**AN**:

**1)** I've decided to give an actual name to the city in which HS DxD takes place. The name is derived from the connection that it's filled with activity between all the factions and Youkai. I look at is as a middle ground, which correlates to Jigen no Hazama, as a gap between the worlds of man, devil and god.

**2) **This chapter is probably the least one touched out of them all!, but there are changes.

The **Dimensional Gap** (次元の狭間 _Jigen no Hazama_)

**Revised on 11.5.2014.**

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location:** _Osaka; Kinki region; Midwest Japan_

**Play**: _Yasuharu Takanashi The Mission_

-[camera location above the cloud cover level, low atmosphere]

Osaka as an urban environment is one of the tamed jewels of Japan. It's a city located in the Kansai region of Japan's main island, Honshou. It is a designated municipal city under the Local Autonomy Law. It serves as the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the largest part of the Keihanshin metropolis, which comprises three major cities of Japan: Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe.

Serving through the history as a commercial center of Japan, Osaka functions as one of the command centers for the Japanese economy at large. The ratio between the daytime and nighttime population is 1.41, meaning that almost a third of the employees in Osaka don't actually live in the city, or near the metropolitan area.

The ratio is also, interestingly, the highest in Japan, highlighting its status as an economic center with a lawful and theoretical twist, ensuing that it receives a larger budget for functioning from the state.

Back in the feudal Edo period of Japan, Osaka used to be referred to as the "nation's kitchen". It received this nickname due to it's indubitable position as the center of trading for rice, creating the first modern futures exchange market in the world.

...Suck it Wall Street.

While I'm sure this is all and well interesting, none of this however has any connection with our actual story, right?

...

...

Wrong...well, partially true at least. For you see, my courteous and humble readers, it doesn't matter whatsoever what you choose to respond with, because you would have been only partially correct in your assumptions. There's an object of interest here, y'know.

But don't fret. It takes a genius of mind to realize this so don't worry if you didn't measure up. I won't hold it against you.

Back and round on our main point of issue, this being Osaka and it's connection with this story, perceive it. The city of the ''Large slopes'' is a point of convergence for the Japanese denizens, most of them gravitating in the Osaka prefecture.

Within this sea of people, we only need to find one individual, one member of the populace within Osaka whom we are looking out for. Following this form of concept, we can come to the conclusion that the precedently mentioned object of interest is not in fact, and object, but rather a living, breathing, bonafied and in the flesh, person.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

-[camera zooms from cloud cover down to the street level]

The location where the user-friendly camera within the human imagination, the mysterious and possibly dangerous place had come to a halt, was 10 feet above the ground, right above a pink colored jeep with roses painted over the hood.

From the not so impressionable height of 10 ft, the reader would have the opportunity to look at one of the many street located on the periphery of the city. It was, by all accounts a normal looking street, with the added touch of Japanese craziness to it.

Just enough to make them feel at home.

Besides a small number of humorous and deceptively weird little images and icons displayed on the right side of the picture, there wasn't anything withing the street that would make your blood pump and your heart beat within your chest in excitement.

But there are some ludicrous cases out there somewhere within the vast pool of the petty race called mankind... I don't judge.

This street, anon-ly named Nakane Alley by the city officials not so long ago, was allocated within the northern sector of Osaka city. It had, akin to a number of similarly boring and strange streets found all over Japan, a very attractive and specific appeal to it.

This was accomplished simply by the ascetic placement of various plants, trees and bushes around the area, and by the non-arguable reasoning to keep the area clean, as it was regularly sweeped from any trash by both the communal service and green-conscious volunteers.

After all, it wouldn't do it right if families lived surrounded by trash of any kind. The people of Japan are notorious about the very strict policy revolving waste disposal and recycling ventures within their lands.

So everyone made sure that their cities were kept clean- Spotlessly so.

If one looked to the side of the street belonging to the eastern boundary of planet Earth, he or she, let alone it, would have seen a neatly stacked row of family houses and a single kindergarten. The habitual abodes' outside walls were painted in the range of pale blue colors.

The difference of the paint scheme was just enough to make out during a sunny day with a small amount of trouble to the local residents. The homes were all built in the new 'modern Victorian' style, the diction somehow combining the age old design from the older days of the British crown with the modern day construction ways, new materials and decorative motifs.

On the other hand, the kindergarten building was built and styled in the more traditional Japanese sense, enabling the area to retain some semblance of the Far Eastern spirit. It contained a large, layered with smooth stones yard, which was surrounded by white wall with the traditional roof placed on it.

The yard served as a playground and contained various playthings for little children, such as a sandbox, two small yellow slides, some three blue see-saws with dark brown seats and one strange yellow-ish construct resembling a vertically curled up fish.

Opposite of this, another row of buildings stood out with the same, bleak grey color of cement. The buildings were all built in the same way, using the same materials and the same construction workers. The difference was in their outside appearance.

Each building, every single of these small, single story buildings contained a shop of some kind. There was a general goods store located at the southern end, and then right next to it was a food store, followed by a cafe. Then came a book store, a pawn shop and even a betting window store.

The differences were as followed: The General goods store looked plain. The Food store had one oversized door for an entrance, above which hanged an upturned picture of a pig getting roasted. There was some strange humor in there somewhere according to the owner, as the store didn't actually sell real pig meat, just the already dried and cured meat. The Cafe didn't have any special decorations, just the outside chairs, tables and parasols, but it did replace the front wall with a large glass wall. The Book store had the figure of an old lady wearing reading glasses siting on a wooden chair slapped over the front, as an overhead sign. The Pawn shop followed suit with various small trinkets displayed over the overhead plate placed on the front wall. The Betting window store was the only one with a simple addition to it. A hard-board panel with the words Betting Window written in Kanji characters.

~ CWINK CWINK

A soft jingle of bronze bells ebbs slowly through the morning air as the oversized door's of the _Kagejima's FooD and Drinks_ store are swung open and a young girl bounces out into the light of day.

The girl's name is Yukuzuchi Molly. A young teenage girl, she has shoulder length chocolate brown hair, which is most often than not tied into a single pony tail by a red strap. She's always so full of life, but right now she was like a fat-kid in a candy store, her jade green eyes holding a twinkle of joy as she bounced on the bales of her feet.

Molly is a 14 year old girl wearing brown, knee length shorts with no pockets, a violet T-shirt with a picture of a Hanya mask slapped to it, as well as a red, unbuttoned blouson jacket.

Hanging around her neck rested a small, golden chain with a dark orange pasque flower over a small white panel. On her feet she had a pair of blue thongs, and no perverts, I mean the footwear, not the underwear.

Said girl was bouncing up and down, shifting from her left foot and her right foot as her eyes looked towards her personal and not so secret idol in excitement while she moved backwards in reverse, her front facing the store and her back the street.

She didn't try to contain her excitement. She was in the company of the person she looked up to and wanted to be like one day. The woman was her hero in a sense and acted like her big sister ever since the day her life was turned upside down by a vampire attack.

''Nee-chan, Nee-chan?! Is that true? Did that really happen.'' The brown haired girl asked with a great amount of enthusiasm and a tad bit of humor lacing her words as she though about the story her Nee-chan told her.

The story involved one rather drunk plump man with a penchant for expensive jewelry, a pair of sandals, a case of sake and a big truck, some whipped cream and a whip.

Mirthful laughter filled with josocity was her answer as an older woman followed after her. The gorgeous specimen of the female race stepped out of the small-time shop holding her stomach with her right hand.

Moving with a subtle grace, one that came with years of close combat experience, the woman stood at the height of 4 feet 11 inches (4'11") making her build relatively petite, with lean and strong muscles shaped into feminine curves that only increased her, already high apparel.

''Yes, yes. It did happen. It's too bad you can't see it for yourself'' the older, but still overall young woman replied to the Molly's question as she closed the door's behind her with a soft kick of her left heel. The kick generated enough force to close the door's abruptly, but not to produce a sound at the moment of impact.

She who shall not be named yet directed her view to the sky. Her eyes settled on a spot far, far above the clouds as she seemed to be contemplating something internally, her eyes holding a glint of dangerous intellect.

Cuping her chin with her left hand, the woman snorted in a rather un-lady like manner as she looked back at Molly. ''I actually think that I have a picture of it somewhere in my office'' she told her, waiting for the younger female to act and take the bait.

She decided to hide what she wanted to add in an afterthought, the girl was still a little young for those things.

Only one of the two girls was our person of interest, and it ain't the smaller one.

It was in that moment that Molly jumped close to the older female, coming rather close within the woman's personal space with the action and serving to startle the woman for the moment, a rather impressive thing to do considering she acted like a cube of ice most of the time.

That brief moment of lost concentration was just what Molly needed to bring her most potent weapon to bear on the stronger and older woman.

"Nee-chan. Can I see it?'' Molly pulled out all of her stops and used her best puppy dog eyes. And when I'm saying her best I mean she went all out. She pulled out the supremely pouty bottom lip, with the quiver and everything and she got her eyes to go extremely wide and sparkle, with the faintest hint of tears showing through on the sides. ''Pweasee''

The little girl was soo_o_ good at doing it, that whenever she pulled out the face, (_unnamed as of yet_) could swear the she would hear the Universe go "Awww!" It unnerved her.

The whole set up wasn't really necessary because (_unnamed as of yet_) probably would have fallen at just the lip quiver if she wasn't baiting her.

The (_unnamed as of yet_) person of interest has grey, stormy eyes and short black hair with two long braids bound in white cloth, each ending in a large golden ring.

The black haired woman was wearing a short, modified black hakama with no sleeves and the cloth didn't cover the back, though she did wear long black arm bands. Around her waist she wore a yellow obi tied around her. On her feet she wore traditional Chinese shoes with ordinary white socks.

''Okaa_aay_'' the (_unnamed as of yet_) woman said slowly while carefully looking at the younger girl with weary eyes. A tear formed on the back of her head as she backed away subtly from the kid, the sweat drop growing slightly as she did so.

Really, the 14 year old was strangely amusing to watch in such situations, but it definitely wasn't something she wanted to be subjugated to at a regular or even rare basis, that was for damn sure.

''Mollyyy!''

The two figures jumped at the sound of a young, male voice.

...Well it was Molly that jumped at the sound. The (_unnamed as of yet_) only did a graceful, subtle lean of her head to see who it was that called after her young friend. A mischievous smile appears on her lips, only for it to quickly disappear lest her fun be ruined before she could even see the comedy.

A young boy named Yoga Kimimaro runs down the street towards them with a notebook tucked under his arm. The brown haired boy is fairly plain looking, and this included his outfit as well, which is a blue jacket, a white shirt, and black jeans, for he tries to conserve as much money so he doesn't go "luxurious".

Molly, who had by now calmed down from her abrupt burst of energy, stood there waiting as the boy ran up to her and (_unnamed as of yet_) in a rush. Kimimaro was her classmate, and unknown to either her or him, she had a crush on the boy.

''Kimimaro-kun, what is it?'' she asked with her left eyebrow raised and her arms placed on her hips as she leaned closer to him, prompting the boy to slow down least he crash his skull with hers.

Kimimaro looked at her with his light, brown coloured eyes oddly, having at least expected her to know why. After a short second he shrugged internally and bowed to her in a show of gratitude, accented with a pleasant smile. ''Ano, thank you Molly-chan for the notebook yesterday''

Reaching with his left hand under his right, he produced a medium sized notebook with a beige colored cover and extended his hand to Molly, prompting her to take it back.

He had missed the entire last week of school by being sick, and it was only by good fortune and lucky chance that tests that were appointed for this week were postponed due to school being canceled for the current week, though nobody knew exactly why.

Kimimaro is a very hard working student, and when he missed something in school he always got fidgety and risked messing something up. A strange trait, though not necessary a bad one. It turned him into a hard worker.

''Ohhh''

Understanding dawned on Molly's face as her mouth slowly receded from their 'O' shape. Molly tilted her head to the side and blushed at forgetting something so simple, and missing the obvious as a light dusting of pink settled on her cheeks.

''I-It's nothing Kimimaro-kun''

Off to the side, the nearly forgotten (_unnamed as of yet_) raised a single, delicate eyebrow in amusement, curious about the reaction of the boy to the stutter. She had no intentions of budging into the conversation between the two teenagers and had no plans of manipulating a scene just for her merriment.

Her sensei did that to her plenty of times before _the incident_, and she didn't like being picked on like that. So, being the subtle woman that she normally is, she just opted to observe the conversation between the possible lovebirds, whilst carrying two small plastic bags in her left hand, close to her body.

The two white bags hanging in her hand beside her knees were filled with the daily groceries and products, such as bread, milk and meat just to name a few.

Oh, but there were also other minor and trivial additions to this list. A number of onions was placed in there somewhere, as well as some garlic. True as it was, not really being orient-based cuisine, but it was good enough, she supposed.

''Oh, well still thank you Molly-chan. I'm very grateful'' The boy replied, seemingly mistaking the blushes and stutters for something indifferent or completely missing them.

The woman pouted internally. Was her fun really going to be cut away from her.

Molly didn't really know how to react to the praise, not being the most sociable educated person in the world. Just because she was an always smiling and happy girl didn't mean she was some kind of expert at social correspondence.

''No really it's nothing'' the ensuing apparatus when being presented with a situation she didn't understand, was for Molly to try and wave it away.

''Whatever you say Molly-chan'' The boy replied and even seemed to speak in an affectionate tone, if only by instinct, not even realizing that his actions were having an interesting effect of making Molly meek.

Great. He was dense. So much for her laughs.

The black haired woman would have opted to wait for the conversation between Molly and the boy to cease so that she can talk to her for a little longer. Though bearing witness to the spectacle of Molly's face steadily resembling a tomato more and more as the conversation ensued was a bonus.

However, a soft beeping noise in her ear derailed her plans. Her shoulders stiffened in a way that it was barely noticeable to all but the keenest of eyes as she regarded the incoming communique.

Releasing a soft sigh, she brushed a few hairs over her ear with her free hand and called out to her young friend. ''Molly-chu, I've got to get going. My boss is calling me''

-chu was a suffix that the grey eyed woman called the young Molly when she wanted to embarrass her. So by using it in that instance, she added oil to fire as the girl's face started glowing from embarrassment.

''Molly-chan are you alright. You seem to have a fever'' Kimimaro, oblivious to the teasing and the innocent innuendos that were placed within their conversation up to the point planted his palm to Molly's forehead while looking at the Hakama wearing woman in curiosity.

Molly though realized that her time with her idol was cut short and her mind immediately latched on to the thread of salvation, her embarrassment now forgotten in place of 'poutyness'.

''Oh...'' she turned her body towards (_unnamed as of yet_) and crossed her arms over her chest, adding an adorable pout to her visage. ''Okay Nee-chan. Promise to come and visit soon?'' she asked

''Well-'' (_unnamed as of yet_) was cut of by Molly directing another, stronger pout in her direction.

Persistent little...

''_...Commander Hornet, this is Nest. Do you copy?''_ a monotone female voice spoke into her ear, indicating that nor the boss-lady nor command weren't keen on waiting for a response anytime soon.

Food for thought, the quality of the sound and the woman's voice was unparalleled to anything else in the known human world in terms of communication technology.

The onslaught between the cute puppy face and the impatient monotone voice forced her into a corner, and she had to respond quickly. So the only thing she could do was...

''Yes'' to agree to the request.

The black haired woman said exasperatedly and bowed her head down in defeat, but was hiding a small smile at the thought that passed in her mind.

She was happy by the reality that Molly wasn't seemingly over affected by the events in the past, and that she had such a strong connection with her. She had failed to save the girl's family, but she would be damned if she didn't save the girl.

Turning around to her left with grace, she started strolling down the street in a relaxed pace. Bringing her left hand up to her ear, she tapped on the earpiece resting there once with a slim finger.

With that tap, the connection using the latest generation quantum communication technology linkage was opened. And as the commander wiped away any form of a smile off her face, she responded into the open line with a neutral and controlled voice.

''Copy Nest, this is Hornet. What's the call?''

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The climate around the city of Hazama was not unlike the climate of Hi no Kuni. It was mostly warm, with snow being a rarity. Through the year, a mostly warm weather dominates the area.

During the summer, it's really hot and humid. During the autumn, it slowly went down to a moderate temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. The coldness comes with the shift's in the winds, bringing a cool, briskly air, forcing people to wear long sleeves.

Considering that it was the start of autumn, the air temperature was highly warm and cozy, just warm enough, to not make it hot on anyone in Japan. For now at least, because if the weather prognosis is to be believed, rain will ensue latter that day.

It was, in such nicely warm and comfortable whether that we find our main protagonist sitting behind a school desk, like an obedient little student that he was not supposed to be.

A single, professional and highly trained assassin of a student that could still kill every single human in the school from the shadows and had a chance at killing the unnatural as well was not normal. It was inconceivable.

Naruto wasn't a man that particularly enjoyed killing people, and he generally tried to find a way around it if he could and had the time, options and resources. This did not mean that he shied away from the act itself if needed.

After all, even amongst the ANBU, he had an impressive kill count.

So instead of lurking around in the harbour of darkness and shadows like his job entailed before the start of the Great War, he was siting rather patiently on a simple school chair, behind a small school desk.

-In a school.

The shinobi who gained a tittle of Sage and could easily step into a persona of fraudelenty was staring at a notebook with a sour expression on his face.

The crystal blue eyes roamed over the equation once.

...twice

...thrice

He then directed his gaze up, towards the large green board, where the same text, albeit a little longer was written in all it's chalky whiteness.

The ninja blinked, tilting his head downwards and reading the equation several times over, trying to discern what was he supposed to do here.

What was he supposed to equate to get such a result. It was explained neatly the last time, but for the life of him, he couldn't make heads or tails of the scribbles. Now Naruto was not a stupid person, but he wasn't a genius either.

And truthfully, he really felt no love towards mathematics. At all.

The mostly human ninja scratched his left cheek in confusion, the befuddlement that he experienced showing with his small actions. While doing so, he made sure not to touch his sensitive whisker marks.

_'What...? How...' _the golden haired character looked back at the board once more.

Then back at his notebook.

_'I don't get it... what am I supposed to compute this with?'_ The spiky haired blonde wasn't making any sort of progress within the math subject, his admittedly, worst subject in the entire curriculum.

And yet this stuff was supposed to be only on the medium level scale within the tasks manifest.

_'This is ridiculous, what the hell are these kids supposed to do with such advanced mathematical equations' _He internally shivered at the though of what hard equations might entail, if the jumble of numbers and mathematical signs before him was only supposed to be medium.

This was not something that was covered in ANBU nor in the Academy. For a ninja, the highest forms of math required to know were the addition of interest, how much was A X B, and percentage. How was he supposed to know how to compute this.

Looking around, Naruto could see that almost everyone else understood the mumbo jumbo before him.

What the hell was with that.

He focused his sights back onto the piece of paper and glared at it.

He absently noted that the math teacher was giving them homework for the next week as he tried his best to burn a hole through paper with his eyes. Sadly, his conscious desire to manifest the heavenly flames of Amaterasu without chakra through sheer determination failed flat.

Sadly, without chakra, there was no fire on paper, you should know this Naruto.

By the time the bell rang, he was the first one to scramble out of the classroom.

**He was not a damn calculator -ttebayo!**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The wind howled, sounding more like it cried in silent agony as it blazed across the northern sky, soon meeting a barrier, an object that dared stand within it's path. The force of nature however, would not allow itself to be contained by the likes of such.

With such a mindset, the wind pushed onwards, intent on either plowing through the barricade with it's might, or to flow around the object with an elegant twirl like a professional dancer, in order to continue on it's path. The familiar below of the mother nature tore through the wilderness, the flow of gases impudent on it's path to whatever got in it's way, be it made out of concrete and glass, or wood and dirt. The wind went through clearings and valleys, around mountains and towers.

It ducked under the overpasses, be it man- or nature- made, flowing under the tree-tops and branched, across the lakes and streams, lands and seas. The force screamed as it made it's way across the lands, traveling over the mountain range located in the middle of Japan.

Unlike the area to the south, where the sky was clear and the air was warm, the sky located over Mt Shikaga was riddled with grayish clouds, the condensed vapors hovering over the earth in various shapes and sized, big and small, lean and plump.

The floating masses of liquid droplets blocked out the light of the sun. The rays of sunlight that had wished to grace the planet Earth with their presence were shooed away like they were some impetulant children by the fluffy barriers.

And every few moments, a flake of snow falls down from the stormy covers. The air in the mountains was occupied by the small, barely discernible snowflakes in the distance, that floated mid-air without a care in the world.

_...0-washi_

In the darkened sky, there, away in the distance, a magnificent bird soared through the air. The creature pierced through the wind like a mighty spear thrust from a spartan as it's feathers flapped on the air with the rhythm of it's mighty flaps.

As the bird flew, orbs of pure whiteness floated around it, small and barely seen, seemingly free in the air as their short lives were guided by the winds. The air was scarce from them, but there was a decent number of them.

The most interesting thing though, was the fact that the weather was seemingly concentrated around the mountain. The rest of the country had clear skies for most of the day and this was the exception.

**FLAP FLAP**

The magnificent creature flapped it's mighty winds in an effort to remain in air, traveling over and under the various air currents as it glided smoothly across the pale blue/grey sky.

FLAP...SCREECH

_...0-washi_

It descended from the sky and dived towards it's masters home, that hidden and unknown place where the humanity prepared for conflict against the forces of supernatural. It's heading, Mt Shikaga.

There were several well know facts about Mountain Shikaga and it's equally named peak that the casual resident of Japan could tell you if you asked him nicely. The first one of these facts would be that the large land form which stretched above the surrounding land in the form of a peak is uninhabited.

In fact it was desolate of any life.

Now this is nothing new as there is a number of mountains that are utterly unsuitable to support life. But the difference would be in the fact that it was barren of any life. Neither trees nor wildlife could be found there.

Then came the issue of the mountain constantly being covered in snow.

And the white cover was located under, below the standard snow line altitude above which snow and ice cover the ground throughout the year for such a earthen uprising. The forest barren mountain formed through the might of tectonic shifts and volcanic forces was covered with the pure white blanket.

Currently, the skies above the mountain were filled with storm clouds coming in from the mainland Asia, carrying with them the promise of rain and bad weather. The prevailing colors above the mountain were various shades and tones of grey belonging to the electricity charged fluffiness.

Now underneath the incoming storm front, there lied one great secret. This secret was what made the mountain stand out amongst the many similar elevations of rock, dirt and earth. Built directly into the mountain was one of humanity's best kept secrets.

EHDI TC Base- Nest Station.

The Enhanced Human Defence Initiative is a top-secret military organization, an united effort of many countries around the world even if they don't know it. After all the organization has to remain secret with the number of non-humans in it's society.

EHDI acts as a large shadow organization, a military force for mankind against supernatural. Where most people don't even know of the existence of these creatures, EHDI was formed first as a first and last line of defense against them. It exist in order to defend humanity from any threats posed by these creatures. In the future, cooperation and even open acknowledgement might exist, but before that, they would have to show the Three Factions that humanity aren't toys for them to fight over.

As time passed and EHDI realized that the situation between the Three Factions was still at a stale-mate, they set out to evolve and empower themselves.

New technologies, new weapons, new medicine, new alloys.

All of this could now be researched and built with the top quality resources and scientist of the EHDI.

EHDI has several bases stationed across, under and above the globe. The founding comes directly from the coffers of world's superpowers, the G11 organization and wealthy individuals. For now it acts underground, building up it's forces and power so that they could one day make a stand for humanity in the conflict between the forces of Heaven and Underworld (冥界_Mekai_)

The organization has several branches and black projects, but the largest and most powerful branch is the Templar Corps. The Templar Corps (TC) is the oldest part of the modern-day EHDI.

While EHDI, as a pro-human body only deploys field agents as undercover units and/or shadows, the Templars act as the mainstay army, with the largest and most direct combat force in the organization, easily outnumbering any other branch from 10 : 1 to 100: 1 ratio.

The Nest Station is the largest of the three main bases belonging to the Enhanced Human Defense Initiative league. It serves as the GHQ (General-Head-Quarters) for the Templar Corps, a high-end military encampment and command post, main operations base for deployment of weapons and soldiers as well as the largest Research &amp; Development laboratory for the Templar Corps.

The base was first built upon a source of a powerful energy that has been throwing EHDI scientist for a metaphorical loop and into whack for the last several decades. This energy was firstly nick-named Zero, due to it's propensity to both change but never lose it's main properties. It can mimic other energy sources such as chakra, youki or mana, nuclear and even solar radiation, electro-magnetic force and a number of others.

It can flow in both positive and negative currents and so far has not caused any harm to the subjects that have been exposed to direct manipulation.

Currently, Zero energy is used as a mainstay energy source for EHDI. It is built directly into the AMSS combat suits through nano-weaving of fibers. These suits also carry small Zero Cells within them, which allow the regeneration of the energy available to the suit systems.

In order to manipulate Zero, augmentation implants are surgically implanted into any volunteers that are brave enough to undergo the procedure. This allows better synchronization between the suit and the human, as well as giving the user some specific abilities.

Lieutenant Dasli is one of the best examples of these abilities, as he can mould air molecules and pressure them into a semi-solid ethereal shape of energy amongst other things.

Utilizing Zero cell's within the combat suits, TC troopers that haven't undergone the surgical process can do things that a normal human wouldn't be able to. Moving at the speeds of 30 MPH, lifting objects several times their weight are some of the examples that the suit offers.

The main reason for the base's construction atop this source is because Zero energy acts as a full-point jammer. It keeps it hidden from all forms of surveillance, be it technological, magical or celestial, and as such remains hidden from the eyes of the supernatural and human world at large.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the recently promoted commander within the Templar Corps made her way down the grey cement sidewalk of the street at a measured pace, the woman tried to keep her mind clear, but at the same time occupied with miscellaneous thoughts.

What should she cook for dinner.

What movie should she buy.

How to tease Molly when she visits her once again.

The true reason for commander Hornet's pondering was the act of trying, and failing to keep her mind busy. She was greatly annoyed at the prospect of her short-leave being cut short (heh, it's a pun) but she didn't want to show it on the outside.

The petite woman prided herself at being able to remain cool and detached in almost any situation if the need arose and she wasn't going to let something like this ruin her record. But she was feeling a measure of frustration at the situation.

Now, while she was usually a very hard worker, one of the reasons for her recent promotion to the rank of Commander within the Templar Corps, she also wanted- No, she needed some time away from all the work to rest.

EHDI can't seriously be in conflict with KS (Keys of Solomon) daily, can it?

Does she really need to be present at every single meeting, every engagement. She's not a one man army.

Does she really have to deal with everything on her own, as she put a hundred and ten percent in everything she did. A little time off is just deserved, right?

And so, with the frustrating thoughts circulating in her head, she made her way past the small, a short foot tall fence made out of stone and cement, surrounded by a small patch of fresh grass from the beginning of the fence till the end.

With really no reason, she looked towards her own car, the Onyx Black Porsche 911 and came to a halt. Her left eye twitched once as she spotted the Blue Bob-cat pick up truck parked beside her vehicle.

But no, it wasn't the truck that irked her in reality.

It was the cargo in the back of the truck, most likely lazing about and sleeping while hidden in the shadows of that oversized piece of cloth and fabric that the man had a decency to call a hat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issei sighed to empty air as he trudged on along, going down the squeaky clean hallway of the school, his direction towards the exit. The chatter in the air was something he had learned to ignore long ago, so the constant voices that assaulted his ear non-desreptly didn't force him to pause and collect his thoughts.

He had no plans for today with Matsuma or Motohama, so he might as well go drop of his stuff at home. So with that set of thoughts guiding his actions, he turned around the corner at the end of the hallway, taking a quick glance at the various beauties in it, before a male student appeared in his field of vision.

More specifically, he was standing in Issei's way, blocking the path towards his bed.

"Hi. How are you doing?" the male student asked in a smooth and gentle voice as he leaned on the wall with left hand, looking at Issei expectantly. Issei looked at the male student, who came to see him, through half-lidded eyes. He wasn't tired per say, but just felt like he had less energy still.

He however only knew of two males with such a hair color and style, and this one was definitely lacking whisker marks on his cheeks. Identification complete. The guy in front of him is their school's number 1 best looking prince, Kiba Yuuto.

As opposed to Naruto who had a rough and hard appearance, obviously gained from hours of physical exercise and work, making him an eye candy for the girls in the school to look at, Kiba captured the hearts of the girls in their school with that simple smile of his.

He is in the same year as Issei, though he's from a different class. You can hear girls screaming with joy from the classroom and the corridor around them at the sight of the boy.

_'Shut up. It's so damn noisy in here._ ' Issei though with annoyance. Really, could the girls not behave like crazed fans at the mere sight of this guy.

Really.

_'I mean, who could be so obsessed with a simple thing as a guy. Breast are a much more logical thing to be crazy about, right?'_

"So what business do you have here?" Issei replied at the question with a dismissive tone of voice. The pervert didn't really care about the boy-prince and his opinion of him, nor did he really care to what he had to say. If Kiba realized this, he didn't show it as he delineated without breaking his smile at Issei's attitude.

"I came here by the order of Rias Gremory-senpai, and the words of Akeno Himejima-sempai." Expecting a reaction from Issei, he spoke in a casual tone, as if he was commenting on the weather, in order to try and mess with the boy's head a little.

—!

With that one statement, he had all of Issei's attention, who's looked at him with fully opened eyes that betrayed Issei's confusion at the circumstances that he was in.

_'Akeno-senpai said that there would be someone that will pick me up... for whatever reason there is to pick me up... did she mean Kiba-san when she said that... what is happening here?_' Himejima-senpai didn't explain all that much really, barely just hinting on something that happened yesterday, but the boy was terribly confused with the situation.

"…OK OK, so what do you want me to do?" Issei asked as his face showed that Kiba had his undivided attention, the perverted boy's back straightening up, his shoulders leveling out and generally waking up from the stanby-state that he was in barely 10 seconds ago...

The brown haired boy looked at Kiba straight in the eye, with much more enthusiasms then a moment ago. The next sentence spoken from the Knight's mouth would cause a rather audible reaction from the female students within the hearing range.

"I want you to follow me." With a smile, that smile which could really carry the wrong meaning in the sentences when you didn't know the guy enough, Kiba caused an immediate reaction, as a very, very loud noise nearly deafened Issei in that moment.

''NO!''

Rumble...rumble...crash

The first noise would be the high-pitched screams erupting from the horrored girls down the length of the hallways. The second sound was the localized earthquake that followed the sound of female anguish.

Some girls looked through the windows, expecting to see the sky falling down on their heads. After the ground stabilized around them, Issei plucked his pinky into his left ear, it's drum still ringing from the first scream.

"No, no for Hyoudou-baka and Kiba-kun to walk besides each other!" one girl from the end of the hall yelled vehemently as she shook her head from side to side. To emphasize her point, she put up a hand-held board...with the same sentence written over it in black letters, with Kiba's name exclaimed in artistic letters and blue color, while Issei's name was crossed over with a big, red X.

...

...

..what the

_'What..how..from where did she get that out so fast. She couldn't have written it so fast...right_?'Issei though with his mouth slightly opened and his right index finger pointing upwards...

The finger then slowly lowered itself untill it was leveled and pointing at her as Issei looked at the Knight beside him, and then proceeding to send an abashed and bewildered look in her direction.

Kiba shook his head with mirth at the scene, but his and Issei's attention was then caught by a pair of blonde twins hugging each other and leaning in their direction. "You will get infected, Kiba-kun!" the 2 blonde look-alike girls wailed, despair slowly creeping in on their hearts as they witnessed the possible downfall of their handsome paragon.

Issei looked at them with a deadpan impression once they actually voiced said thoughts. He couldn't help but note that he was going into school with very weird people. His ears were then assaulted by things than wanted to make him blanch whiter than chalk in disgust.

"I won't agree with the Kiba-kun×Hyoudou-baka pair!"

"No, maybe its Hyoudou×Kiba-kun pair!?"

They are saying some weird crap.

Issei looked around and took note that every girl in the hallway was now arguing whatever or not it's Hyodonu x Kiba pair, or Kyodou x Kiba pair. His left hand slowly reached up, and the boy dragged it over his face downwards, groaning and moaning at the absurdity of the scene and the discussion.

_'Shut up. Seriously shut up._' Issei thought as a tick mark develop over his hair, and his right eye began to spasm erratically, twitching every or so often. The perverted boy looked at Kiba, who was watching all of this commotion in amusement, and sent him a small glare.

"Ah..., all right." He said through gritted teeth, agreeing to follow after the Kouh Prince, if only to escape this madness, caused by Kiba's presence and not so careful choice of wording. Issei's ear twitched from the sound of a verbal dispute. The girls were really voting whatever or not it's a Hyodonu x Kiba, or Kyodou x Kiba Yaoi.

_'I will say this beforehand. I hate good looking guys.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play**: Snowy White &amp; The White Flames - Love Is Not Possession

Within the downtown area of Osaka, in the middle of a parking lot, stood 2 individuals who were spending their time in relaxing leisure. The two figures were currently waiting for the renowned commander Hornet to appear.

Having parked besides her expensive car, an onyx coloured Porsche 911, they opted to take a break and rest instead of going out and chasing after the woman. One of them, more specifically the one leaning on to the side of the blue pick-up truck was a woman, standing at the height of approximately 5'11".

She was munching on a pack of fast-food french (_freedom_) fries, but doing so while wearing a business-like suit, complete with sunglasses that hid her blue-grey eyes from the world. The woman has blonde-silver hair that is tied into a pony tail at the moment, and her expression was one of drowsiness.

While reaching for a cup of soda placed atop the hood of the car, right beside the second pack of fries with her right hand, she wore a bored face. Bringing the cup in front of her she tilted the cup downwards.

After taking a long sip of the unhealthy drink, she placed the cup back on top of the hood.

Taking the last piece of french fries with her right hand, she turned her head to her left side and looked towards the back of the truck. For a silly reason, her vision was obscured by the edge of a large, brownish coloured hat worn atop by the other figure.

''Soo_oo_...Liutenant'' the woman with the platinum-silverish blonde hair began to speak, her voice showing that she was interested in the man's answer as she held the fry just shy away from her mouth.

''..what can you tell me about the Commander?'' and then she took a bite, quickly finishing the fry of, never to be seen again until she had to go to the restroom. She turned her head back to point forward with her eyes and looked into the pack intently with her grey eyes.

She wanted to make sure it was empty before throwing the pack of fries lazily towards a nearby trash bin, her hands already moving towards the second pack atop the hood. Following her question from a few seconds ago was a pregnant pause, for a long moment only silence breached the air.

Sighing, the blonde woman came to the conclusion that the Lieutenant will not acquiescence to her question and opened the second pack of fries. But the moment she did, her companion, who was resting in the back of the pick-up chuckled, breaking the awkward silence.

With his arms crossed behind his head, acting as pillow, his form was obscured by a rather large sombrero. The name and rank of the man who was leaning on to the cabin of his pick-up truck is Lieutenant Dasli Muehinate.

The mexican warrior in his mid 30's is also known by several names. Some of them, like the _Wind of the Templars_ have been given to him by the KS forces when they clashed, unseen by the Three Factions.

Another name he went by was the _Crazy Mother ****** Mexican_. The reason for this is [Information redacted].

The man is a known wacko scientist who had managed to fuse the strange energy beneath Nest Station base with technology. This has resulted in many new devices and technologies flourishing from the fusion. The man's personal favorite, and most likely one of the best examples is his power-suit, and it's newest Drive Core which was supposed to work along with the Zero cells within the suit.

When he ceased to snicker, the Liutenant opened his eyes and glanced to the side, in the direction of the younger operative who was being transferred to Hazama City by the orders of the Higher-ups.

Well, with his sombrero in the way, he couldn't really see her, but that's not important right now.

''Hmmm, what to say about el comandante" The man spoke out in thought as he removed his left hand from it's position as a cushion, bringing it out under his bearded chin and scratching it in thought.

Now while there was a lot to say about '_Hornet',_the man still not understanding why did she prefer the codename over her real name, he had to pick his words carefully.

He had to describe her in the best way possible (at least to him [snicker]), without placing his valued manhood on the line of fire once she appeared, not that he was afraid of her or anything...

Okay, maybe he was just a little afraid of the woman.

''Well for once, her attitude is like un toro. She can be really stubborn when she wants to be'' While this was supposed to sound like a praise, the man was failing at it, judging by the small sweatdrop forming on his companion's head.

''On the lado positivo, she is extremely loyal, firm and unbending in her beliefs'' Removing his hand from underneath his chin, he tilted his sombrero to the side, exposing his face to the field operative by the side of the car.

The woman nodded, telling him to continue and the man did so.

''When out in the field, her strong moral stance reflects in her loyalty. She believes in always following órdenes and won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to complete a misión and defeat her enemy.''

Commander Hornet is know for her incredible resolve and her, sometimes blind loyalty to TC and EHDI. While most people see this as a plus, some individuals disagree with the beliefs.

Again, Lt Dasli continued with his description of Hornet. ''When she fights, she loves to mock her opponents or smirk at them in an infuriating way, hoping to gain an upper mano.'' He smirked at that, before his facial features turned more somber.

''She won't hesitate and injure a comrade if it means she can defeat a foe'' He added the last part with a more neutral tone. Dasli soundly disagreed with her on that front, but unfortunately, the woman was far to effective to be punished or reprimanded by command in such cases.

''She also believes that personal struggle builds character and is rather cold to others, but deep down, Hornet is a big marshmallow. So if she gives you a hard time, it's only her way of trying to help you. _En su mayoría_. '' Dasli winked at her and grinned when he added the last part. Whatever or not it was supposed to ease the woman's nervousness at the upcoming meeting with the famous soldier or not, it didn't really help her.

The man's grin made him look more like a battle maniac than anything else. And it wasn't really far off.

''Hmmm'' she digested this information while looking away from the grin, inclining her head to the side while doing so. Well, two can play that to herself at the though, she turned her gaze back to Lt Dasli who was till grinning at her.

When she spoke this time though, there was a visible twinkle of mischief in her grey eyes, eyes that are usually more serious than anything.

''Okay, I'm pretty sure I get her now, but don't you have anything more...juicy'' the blonde asked with a weird Western intonation, even though her Japanese is fluent.

Her words made Dasli smirk at her and grin even wider, before he started to laugh. It was a very boisterous laugh. ''Oh Jennifer dear, we will get alo_ooo_ng just fine''

Holding back a snicker, she reached for the soda and started to drink, hearing a pair of footsteps approaching. Before the tall male could share some of his treasured blackmail about the _fearsome_ commander Hornet, he managed to recognize the footsteps reaching them.

The taps were short and quick, belonging to a person of a shorter height. They were also angry. How the man knew this out in the bright blue day, the [author] doesn't know, but he knew.

Dasli Muehinate grinned even more wider than he did before, the 'smile' stretching his reddened cheeks to their limits as he tilted the sombrero further upwards and brought his other hand out.

He glanced towards Jennifer and noticed she was still drinking.

Oh time for a prank.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The black haired Commander marched over towards her car with angry thumps, moving quickly and with every intention of delivering a verbal tirade to that nut-case scientist.

Why was she angry. Well she was angry because lazing right there, in front of her by 100 ft, hidden for the most part by his over sized mockery of a hat was the Commanding Officer of the Frontal Assault Unit, Lieutenant Dasli Muehinate.

That man, that annoying green-eyed, black-bearded ape that could get under her skin with just his sheer presence alone. Oh how infuriating that man is.

As she moved closer, she took notice that she was making quite a noise with her agressive approach, but was far too annoyed to mend her footsteps. She was used to move with silence and swiftness, but now her steps reverberated through the air as her feet made contact with the asphalt.

She quickly looked him over. He was still wearing his usual coat and poncho outfit over his Drive Engine AMSS power-suit. And his sneakers, mustn't forget those _cheerful_ sneakers. The woman fought of the twitch that her eye wanted to make at the thought of those ridiculous looking footwear.

How did the man manage to instill all of the functions of AMSS boots into them is a mystery to her.

The man pushed the _hat_ upwards, but it still shielded him from the sun. It revealed his face, the slightly chummy cheeks, but hardened facials with the perpetual blush planted over them. He raised his other hand in greeting and opened his mouth. She just knew he would say something impudent when he opened his mouth.

''Ola my Little Bee-chan''

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

''So, Naruto-kun never let you inside'' one red raised eyebrow was sent in Naruto's direction as the red-headed beauty asked with a joking, faux tone of suspicion. The whiskered teen offered a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders as a response, the answer to the given mock-question.

Rias Gremory, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess shook her head at some of strange quirks belonging to the boy who caught her eye, one Uzumaki Naruto. She has just learned a fair number, a good deal of his several behavioral quirks, right out of his adopted little sister and she planned on making full use of them in the future.

Blowing that one idiot hair in her sight away, she looked back down at the smaller blonde girl, the one currently resting in her lap and looking up at her with those adorable baby blue eyes.

For some reason, in that moment she wondered if Naruto's kids would have such eyes one day.

Sara nodded at her. ''Hmhm. Onii-chan never let me go inside'' the little cutie sent her big brother a cute-ish glare.

It was, for all intents and purposes her best attempt to appear threatening that she could make, trying to look like she had some measure of authority over her Onii-chan, like Rias-nee-chan seemed to have.

Naruto had to bite the inside of his cheeks not to laugh at her. The little girl was just so cute!

He had an unfortunate weakness for cute things. So much for him being a cold-blooded ANBU assassin who could strike fear into the bones of enemy ninja. Oh well.

But he realized that all three girls were looking at him intently right now. ''What...?''

Actually, the little munchkin know as Sara was still trying, and failing at that, to appear threatening. His 'crush' was staring at him with barely hidden amusement dancing in her blue-green polls and Akeno's shoulders were shaking.

The polite girl was holding a palm over her mouth to hold in her laughter at something.

''Seriously, what?'' Naruto asked them. He was tempted to look behind him, but he knew there was nothing there besides wood, as he was leaning on a rather wide tree.

Rias, the red-haired goddess was siting on one of the benches placed around the Academy grounds. Sara was sitting on her lap, occasionally swinging her own legs up and down as she talked with Rias, her new apparent favorite person besides him (he hoped!), and Akeno was siting on the recliner part of the bench.

Rias gave him one of her flirtatious smiles that always managed to make him want to kiss her. Bah, he didn't know what was going on. It wasn't like he never had a girlfriend nor was he a virgin. So why did almost action she made almost make him a stuttering mess unless he composes himself before hand.

''Oh nothing Naruto-kun. Just something between us girls'' she answered, in a tone that was so amused it wasn't funny. It wasn't fair, he didn't know what the deal was, he had no idea. Naruto sighed and the girl smiled wider.

Sometimes, he just doesn't understand girls.

...women.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her in beguilement. Oh, but he would get back at her later. She knew.

She knew that the little squirt siting on her lap won't stop asking him to let her inside his apartment now for the rest of the week. His eye twitched once. That conniving tootsie.

Seeing as her glare wasn't getting her the desired reaction, or any reaction at all, Sara puffed up her cheeks and looked away from Naruto. ''Onii-chan's a meanie'' she commented to the amusement of the older girls present.

Rias patted her once again and she gave her a cheeky smile.

On to the side, Naruto felt a smile forming on his face at the sight and did nothing to stop it. Seeing his little sister happy and cheerful once again was all it took to brighten up his day.

Tears and sadness truly didn't suit her. Well he could go well without Sara and Rias trying to goad him into letting her inside his home.

Pftt. Good luck with that.

But his smile slipped.

He had nearly forgotten about the situation and the news he had received last night. That fighter, Dasli wasn't very forthcoming with information when they fought concerning the dangers to Sara. And here he wondered once again what was with those powers.

He looked at Akeno, more specifically her hands and remembered the lightning that danced across them, when she controlled that power. That wasn't chakra. Chakra-made lightning was always blue.

Sometimes it was black if one used Renton chakra but focused on power instead of the flow, forming the Kuro-Raiton natured jutsus.

But yellow it was never. Or at least he had never seen yellow lightning.

And then the other things he saw.

Rias used some kind of destruction energy, coloured in a beautiful and powerful crimson. They both created what looked like magical circles when launching their attacks so maybe it was magic, as strange as it sounded.

Or maybe they used them like ninja use handseals. In any case, it wasn't worth risking Sara's well-being to saté his curiosity. And the little girl, Koneko. Well he didn't see much from her, besides being able to do acrobatics and deflect the energy spears.

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he let out another sigh. How did he always manage to land himself in troublesome situations. Shikamaru did always say that his luck was either the best or the worst in the world.

Rias patted Sara once again over her head and smiled at her as she placed the smaller girl down on the ground, on her own two feet. It was a small feat of strength that she didn't appear to be even trying in doing so and Naruto wondered what could she be exactly then.

His research was cut short last night when his Wi-Fi became flooded with useless pieces of data and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He wasn't an IT specialist.

Seeing Sara's questioning look, she smiled benevolently at the small blonde and pointed towards a group of kids on the other side of the field. Giving her a small nudge, she tried to give her a push so that the little girl would spend some time with kids her age and make friends.

It seemed to be Naruto-kun's biggest issue so far, so if she did this, maybe he would let her in closer. The boy was a big mystery to her and she wanted to learn more about him.

It also helped that he was incredibly handsome when he actually tried to make himself look good. She quickly glanced at him, he seemed to be thinking of something. It's not like he's ugly or anything.

There is a reason why he's ranked No. 2 most desirable boy in school, right after Kiba-kun.

Fufufu, fan-girls as spies are sometimes really useful. They can catch various interesting facts and scenes about someone or something.

''Go on now. You should play with your friends'' she again nudged her again and pointed at the group of kids her age. Sara followed after her finger and looked at them, before looking back at her.

''Who? Them?'' Sara asked with a tilt of her head and pointed at the same group. Rias twitched at being asked something so obvious. Oh right, she's still a kid.

''Sara-chan. Don't point fingers at people'' Sara heard her Onii-chan admonish her, and she quickly rounder around on him in protest.

''But Rias-Nee-chan just did the same'' the little girl complained at her Onii-chan. Why must he be such a disciplinarian always. It wasn't fair!

Naruto sent her a look. His eyebrows thinned into a straight line and he captured her gaze with his own, an intensive one at that. ''Well I'm not the one responsible for her, so she's not my concern. You on the other hand are.'' Naruto spoke in a partially scolding tone, just making sure to get his point across.

The smaller girl crossed her arms across her non-existent chest and pouted once more. Naruto's face now turned into an amused look. ''Listen to'' he Onii-chan made a funny face and continued ''_Rias-Nee-chan?!_..anyway listen to her and go play with them'' He jerked his head in the direction of the kids.

''Or do you want another tickle from me'' he asked with a creepy tone, one he has seen Tenzo-sempai use plenty of times, the one that sent chills down his spine every time.

Sara 'Eeeped' at the mention of his _Tickle of 1000 Months_ and quickly ran away, grumbling about mean Onii-chan's the entire time.

''Fufufu. You sure know how to handle her Naruto-san. Are you sure you'r her big brother figure instead of a father one.'' Akeno, ever the polite but never the one to beat around the bush what was on her mind.

''You would be a good one'' Rias commented, adding onto her Queen's words in hopes to tease and embarrass the taller boy.

''Yeah I'm sure.'' he said and looked at the two of them with questioning looks, before his face turned sour and he looked away. They didn't hear what he said, but he did mutter something under his breath.

''And I'm not a good father material anyway.''

...

...

Seeing that the atmosphere was quickly turning into briny one he turned the conversation into another direction. They spent the next 20 minutes just talking about normal things. Things that Naruto rarely ever talked about.

ANBU isn't really the best place to act like a normal teenager. That is reserved for the regular shinobi corps. The ANBU don't get that luxury. They are the shadows which serve the village, the shield in the light, the blade in the dark.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a while Rias looked at Akeno and the girl nodded at her, they communicated something silently between themselves and Naruto wasn't privy to what it was. The red-head then looked at Naruto once more and gave him a small smile.

''Well, Akeno and Myself have to be somewhere soon.'' She got up from where she sat and brushed a hand through her long hair. ''See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun''

She said her goodbye and began to walk away, Akeno quickly catching up with her and following in her footsteps, humming a soothing tune to herself.

Naruto looked at Rias as she walked away._'I doubt it. But it was good knowing you Rias' _''Rias-chan?!''

Hearing Naruto's voice caused the Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies to stop. Rias turned to her left halfway and looked at the whiskered ANBU member, someone who could have killed her within a moment and she would have never known it.

The red-head looked at him, her blue-green eyes landing on his face and sweeping it over.

Once again she noted how good-looking he is. ''hmm?''

''How did you manage.'' seeing as she was confused, Naruto here pointed his thump at Sara. There was a difference between using a pointing finger and a thumb to do such a thing, one of them being discretion. ''That''

Rias gave him another smile. Kami she did that a lot to him, and told him mysteriously. ''Maybe it's just my charm?'' she said mysteriously, as if she was asking another question. It was the truth after all, but he wouldn't know. She used her charm to soothe the little girl today like she did yesterday, only today it was a little more concentrated.

Naruto raised an eye at her voice. Even if she spoke in a semi-flirtatious tone, he could tell that her attempt to joke was that. An attempt.

He was taught how to read people and their reactions as a child. It was basic profiling, detecting their quirks, changes in behavior and tones of voice taught in ANBU and in the T&amp;I divisions, as it might, just one day, save your life.

It was also very important on missions to be able to read your enemies, allies and clients. In the ninja world, honor meant little.

He could tell that she wasn't joking even with the tone of voice she used right now, and made an effort to not seem suspicious of her. Even if he won't see her anymore most likely, it was always the best to appear ignorant, and to be informed under the guise of said ignorance.

With one final look in Naruto's direction, she turned around, hiding the satisfaction she felt at her progress. Rias Gremory walked away with a conscious thought. It was only a matter of time untill she had his trust.

Only a matter of time...men were all the same after all, you just needed to know what to search for.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issei did his best to ignore the various shouts and screams emitted by the female student population as he made his way through the school and outside. He spotted and subsequently waved a lazy wave in Naruto-senpai's direction.

The older blonde was standing off on the side with his little sister, and they were staring at the debacle caused by the female population with bewildered faces. They were listening to the outrageous crap the girls sprouted whenever they saw Issei and Kiba together.

It would soon be too much for the young girl, and she started to crack up at the situation while Naruto's left hand...twitched. Weird.

Anyway, putting aside the strange twitching of limbs, one could see that the blonde's shoulders were visibly shaking from the strain that it took the chakra-less shinobi not to burst out laughing at him.

The perverted que..., I mean Issei sent them both a burning glare that could have lit a fire atop their heads. It was not funny to be in his shoes at the moment, not funny at all!

And so, Issei followed Kiba outside with his fingers crossed behind his head, walking one pace behind the Kuoh Prince, making sure to keep a healthy distance between the two of them. The last thing he wanted was to add incentive to those crazy girls.

It didn't take them long to clear the crowded section of the entrance, and as they walked on a path that was elevated into the air, making it seem like a small hill, Issei hears a familiar voice shouting at him.

Said shout was what stopped him, and caused him to turn around.

"H-Hey, Ise!" the name-calling shout also made Kiba stop dead on the path. Turning around, the Bishōnen stopped mid-turn and angled his head into the direction of the shout, spotting the self-proclaimed lolicon of the Perverted Trio walking up towards Issei with something in his hand.

Matsuda had, what appeared like a worried expression on his face as he sauntered up near his comrade in perversion, glancing warily towards Kiba with an expression of horror? Hmm, Issei would have to find out what was that about at a later date. Issei spotted the grim look on his friends face and assured him that he was perfectly safe.

Because truly, why else would he worry about him in this situation. The only things that possed some sort of danger to him would be the vast hordes of Kiba's fan-girls, and the sea of Himejima-sempai's worshipers on the school grounds gunning for him.

And the Kendo Club.

And the female volleyball team.

And the cheerleaders.

Yep, perfectly safe. "Don't worry, Matsuda. I'm not going to have a fight."

Matsuda either didn't hear him, or choose to ignore his words as he placed a lecherous smile on his face, and brought his hand up, revealing the item in his hands to be a DVD box. The boy held it up high as he spoke out loud, not carrying about the rather numerous group of girls coming closer, converging on their location, having just finished with their P.E. class.

"What are you going to do with this DVD, "Me, the Molester, and the Udon"!?"

CRICKET, CRICKET, CRICKET

Silence fell onto the Kuoh Academy, as almost every single woman around them focused on the duo of perverts. Issei palmed the left side of his face as he stared at Matsuda with one eye.

Issei shivered as the temperature around him and his friend suddenly dropped for a few degrees in haste.

Slowly, because he had a terrifying suspicion, the brown haired boy dared to peek through the fingers of the hand covering his face.

All around them, girls, young and semi-mature looking, halted with their movements.

Their heads seemed to be jerking like broken robots, turning to look at them with mechanical movement.

Issei was starting to whimper internally. This was just not his day.

The moment they saw Kiba was close to the duo of perverts, they brought out fire-axes from out of nowhere, and seemed to be looking directly into Issei's lone eye, waving their axes threateningly and adopting strange grins on their faces.

The pervert gulped in horror, and quickly ran away, urging Kiba to hurry up.

It would seem that the gods have decided to make his life harder, because this day was just turning out fantastically horrendous. This was just not his day.

On another note, the Shinto Pantheon was cracking up today, and Michael was left wondering why were two perverts suddenly praying for a devils safety.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play**: Taylor Swift - Enchanted ( Lyrics HD)

Sara bid the group of kids goodbye and ran up towards her Onii-chan, passing by Rias-nee-chan and waving her small hand in a farewell, which was reciprocated by the beautiful red-head, before moving in closer to Naruto, who didn't seem to notice her approach yet.

''Onii-chan!''

The chippery voice of his little sister named Sara jolted Naruto awake. The boy looked away from the mesmerizing sight of Rias sauntering away with a saucily sway of her hips, a small sway but exotic nonetheless, and looked towards his baby sister.

...why was he feeling hot all of a sudden?

Stupid hormones, get it together man! You love Kara!

''Y-Yes'' Naruto quickly covered his stutter with a fake cough as he glanced down at his sister, who had a very, very innocent look on her face in that instant that made the hairs on the back of his head stand up in concern.

That look generally spelled trouble for him when worn on a female face. His girlfriend used it plenty of times when she wanted to either really embarrass him or had a very, very _naughty_ idea. [cough]

''Hmm'' Naruto hummed in trepidation.

Bah who was he kidding. This was little Sara-chan. What could she possibly do or say that could embarrass him. And she is _waaay _to young to think about the stuff Kara-chan spoke off.

Sara clapped her hands behind her back and twisted from side to side like a little kid who had just discovered something great and hoped for a reward. It came with the package of twinkling eyes and a cute factor of 10.

''Is Rias-nee-chan your girlfriend?''

...

...

''What?''

Naruto, if not for his emotional training, would have gawked at her in surprise, not believing what was he hearing. His little sister, that sweet little thing who was to scared about going to his school and had an emotional breakdown just 7 hours ago, was trying to _tease_ him.

Him!

His little sister!

The world must be coming to an end. There's no way his little scaredy-cat became so bold, so quickly. This is all Rias-chan's fault.

''Excuse me?'' Naruto asked in a tad bit louder voice and higher pitch than normal. Fortunately for himself and his ego, little Sara didn't catch it. She's still far too young to be able to read people like that.

The little girl just smiled at him, if she was older he would have thought of it as a coyly smile. ''You like her you don't you. And she likes you'' she asked in what would have been childish wonder if not for the nature of the question, and the pointed tone she used. She also pointed her finger at him.

Naruto would have chastised her for doing so if not for his brain stopping in that moment. For a second, it didn't seem like Naruto would say anything.

There was just no way he would let himself be beaten by Sara-chan in a conversation like this. But truly, how could he answer her. No matter what he said, he just knew it would come back to bite him in the ass in one way or another.

So Naruto settled for the tried and tested method of _putting his foot down_ in a conversation when dealing with her.

Mainly, by poking her forehead.

''Auch! Onii-chaaan! you're a meanie!'' Irritation with an added huf, pouty baby sister special.

ah~~, at least the crisis was averted...for now!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

''Olla, my Little Bee-chan''

...CRICKET

...

...

...CRICKET

For a singular moment in all of existence, time had stopped to move forward. There was no explanation for this strange and unpalatable phenomenon that had descended on that singular, plain parking lot.

For that one moment, time was stopped in an utter halt. The birds paused mid-flight, the wind ceased to blow and all the sounds were extinguished, there was pure, unaltered silence.

Field Operative Jennifer Sato would spend many upcoming days in trying to figure out, and understand how was it possible for time to come to a halt, how could have every single noise stopped and the movement of the environment come to such a sudden halt.

But alas, it would remain a mystery unsolved.

...CRICKET

Time continued, and the reactions were various.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto's right eye twitched as he walked through the school grounds with his jacket and suitcase slung over his right shoulder. The twitch was one of annoyance as Naruto and Sara made their way towards the Academy Gates.

Within a few minutes they will reach them and pass through them, and will proceed to cut a shortcut through the park on their way to their respective homes,most likely for their last time, ever.

''Please!'' a warm plead

Now, why would our fair-tanned, whisker cheeked, spiky haired shinobi without the ability to use chakra anymore feel annoyance, even enough to force an outward reaction out of him.

Enough to make him grit his teeth, least he lashed out in a volatile explosion and deeply scarred and scared the nearby students close to him.

''No...'' a cold rebuttal

Well, this state of mind and body could be attributed and have something to do with him being on the receiving end of a tirade. His little sister was pestering him now that Rias has sparked a fire in her, and she was employing her cuteness quite well.

Sara deeply hoped that she would break her Onii-chan. Ah innocence...

''Preatty Please?'' to do that, Sara added her best pout into her beseeching attempts as she walked by her Onii-chan's side.

She wanted to see what was inside his apartment, like totally. She heard someone girls once say that the things forbidden are often the best. Now she didn't understand why was the girl adding a strange giggle when she said that, but she must have known her stuff.

She seemed smart and pretty.

The fact that her Onii-chan was adamantant, whatever exactly that meant, that she never, ever stepped inside his apartment made her insatiably curios to see what was on the inside. Her curiosity was only sparked even further when Rias-nee-chan mentioned it before.

''No.''

Ahh rubbish!

Naruto gave her a short glance and poked her forehead once with his finger. Sara made a frowny face at that as she rubbed her forehead. Not only did her Onii-chan once again denied her, but his pokes were hard.

Sara swatted his hand away like one might do to a fly. Naruto let her do it.

''Please?'' she tried once more. Never let someone say that Sara Maseramu isn't a stubborn child.

Naruto sighed. _'Why me? What did I do to deserve this pestering? Calm yourself, Naruto. Only a few more hours.'_ ''No''

Sara crossed her arms across her chest once more and looked away with a non to quiet huf. She'l show him. Mark her thoughts, she will see what was behind those doors.

She will just have to keep asking Naruto even further. Her Onii-chan won't deny her forever, he can't and she knows it.

As the 12 year old girl began plotting to the best of her abilities on how to get inside the apartment, her focus was suddenly turned away from her forming plans and towards the large group of girls shrieking in the distance.

Being the ever-curios child now that Rias had made an effort to make her more social with others, her eagerness skyrocketed. So, once she spotted the commotion, she quickly decided that it wasn't that far away from them,

Subtly and quietly just like her Onii-chan taught her, she sneaked away from Naruto's side and went in closer to see what it was.

Naruto for once, was just glad that she had decided to shut up.

Was this how little kids always acted when they wanted something, because his little sweetheart was never like that. He might have a good grasp on people's minds, well as good as an ANBU member must have, but he had literally grown up in ANBU, not exactly a child beneficial environment. There was something wrong with him, he knew.

Sure he pranked people, but that was it. He had forgotten if he had ever acted like a brat. He doubted it though.

First was the loneliness, then his selfish sacrifice.

Before the incident with his mother, the foxish woman truly tried her best with him, but she was honestly at her wits and ends. She didn't exactly know how to act with a child like him.

Hell, she was still considered a teenager in the Kitsune society when she did so, having been barely in her 20's. A very young age for a Kitsune.

Sure she was a Kyuubi classed Kitsune, but she was just that powerful, and it wasn't entirely her fault.

Most people thought tails grew with years. This is only partially true. It's true that they grow over years, but they did so as one's power rose.

Yasaka was already born as a three tailed kitsune.

So yeah. Sue him if he doesn't really know what to do with kids. He was mostly flying blind in his interaction with Sara, relying on his knowledge, limited at that, about the human psyche and a human's mental development.

And on the tidbits he had observed in the village and what he had planned with Kara. His heart ached at the thought, but he put it aside.

He decided to bask in the silence while he made his way across the school grounds, taking a little slower just for the emotional value of it.

He doubted he would ever see this place again after his talk with Tokiwa once the woman comes home later today. Might as well engrave it into his memory '_This place has some...interesting memories. I will actually miss this place'_

However, when his little sister stayed silent for too long, he looked at her.

Or more specifically at the spot she would have been if she had not run away. How did she even manage to sneak away from him.

Maybe he shouldn't have taught her how to sneak around like an ANBU level ninja while disguising it as a game of hide-and-seek.

''Sara-chan, where are you?'' he called out in an instant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

—!

Once the time continued to flow at a regular pace, two different reactions followed Dasli's greeting.

PLSST

Jennifer Sato, the woman with the platinum-like blonde hair leaning onto the side of the pick-up truck was the owner of the first reaction. She leaned forward, nearly choking herself in the liquid soda drink from the shock of Dasli's words, before promptly spitting it out of her mouth with haste.

Little Bee, Dasli's nickname for commander 'Hornet'. It was an absurd name in her opinion and she wondered how did he come up with it.

Although, now she knew without a shadow of a doubt, that Lt Dasli was one brave SOB with balls made out of brass.

CRACK [This would be the sound of knuckles under a tremendous amount of pressure]

The black haired woman known as Commander Hornet found herself exerting a tremendous amount of effort in an attempt to stop herself from killing that stupid yokel. Sending him the deadliest glare she could muster, her fingers twitched as she nearly summoned her sword.

Oh how she wanted to pult the twit into the metal of that truck, to make his ancestors hurt from the pain she would inflict upon the meat headed moron. Nobody but _her_ could call her like that.

''What an unpleasant surprise Lieutenant.'' The Commander retorted dryly and with a neutral tone. She knew that if she let her emotions slip, she would snap and beat the man straight into the Emergency Room. Oh how she loathed the ape.

Dasli, hearing her response and noting the restrained anger deep within the woman, placed his hand atop his chest, right over his heart.

With a tone of sarcasm, the man looked at her and sniffed. ''Oh, my heart. Your heart hurt me Suì-Fēng. Why is my Little Bee angry?''

The woman didn't even miss a beat, not giving the man the pleasure of knowing that the wait was for her so that she could muster a response. Silence only made the man try harder.''Please, roll over and die Lieutenant. It would rid this world of another worm'' she sneered at him with a blank face

Hearing a cough, she turned her head and looked to look at the other figure she saw from before, a half-choking one at that. A woman, in her early 30's by the look of it.

She was taller than her, standing at the height of approximately 5'11". Wearing a business-like suit and sunglasses that hid her blue-grey eyes. She has blonde-silver hair that is tied into a ponytail.

All in all. A perfect picture of a woman who could get in almost any position with a little money and a bit of a silver tongue.

''Little Bee?'' the woman wheezed out, in a voice that spoke volumes of how incredulous she thought that sounded as she leaned to the side.

After saying that, she found herself at the receiving end of the Commander's glare.

''Do.''

''Not.''

''Call.''

''Me.''

''That!''

Suì-Fēng/Commander Hornet growled out through gritted teeth, already planning to get back at the Mexican nutcase at a later date with a cold dish called revenge.

Jennifer gulped, but quickly nodded.

She didn't want to piss of the Commander. The woman is infamous for how dangerous she is, she didn't want to make the woman angry with her, not in the slightest.

Nodding towards the Commander, she let out an audible sound of relief when the woman turned her attention away from her.

Her heart was beating like crazy. She ignored the two TC officers as the conversation between soon turned into something resembling a bickering of an old married couple.

The Commander walked around the large pick-up and opened the boot of her car, placing the two small bags of groceries inside, before walking around the truck once more and stopping in front of Jennifer.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Commander Hornet looked at Jennifer. It didn't matter that the woman was shorter than her, she was scary as hell.

''And you are?'' Suì-Fēng finally asked after several tense seconds. Well, tense seconds for Jennifer at least. The Commander felt no need to comfort the woman in her scared state.

Fear is a good motivator, and she believed that the only way for one to improve him/herself was through struggle and by facing hardships. So the woman would have to struggle a little when in her presence, no biggie.

Jennifer stood up ram-rood straight and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, before acting in a slightly more aloof manner, like she usually does. She was not a soldier to stand at attention. ''Jennifer, mam. Jennifer Sato, EHDI Field Operative #0578''

Suì-Fēng nodded at her introduction. To tell the truth, she was, just a tidbit impressed that the woman had found the spine to act out like that in her response. This doesn't mean she will allow her to relax, oh no.

''Lt _roach_, why is she here'' Suì-Fēng insulted and demanded from the mexican scientist/warrior at the same time, with a voice made out of pure steel!

On the bright side of the situation, Jennifer didn't actually feel more intimidated right now than she was before. Well not more than she already was that is.

Firstly, she had her orders. So that will save her of the woman's ire.

Secondly, Dasli warned her that the Commander might act like this. She just hoped she let's down with that aura of hers.

It didn't mean she was less scary than before.

Dasli didn't try to abate the woman's fury at all, knowing that she will be a bit snippy for his remark.

So, what he did was that he slowly got down from his resting position on the back of the truck, taking of his hat in the process and walking towards the door's to his seat.

His seat, the driver's seat that is.

''El chika was given orders from EHDI higher-ups to relocate to Hazama, Gremory Clan territory. Basically, she's along for the ride to Nest.'' Dasli pointed at Jennifer as he explained her circumstance, or tried to, at the least.

While doing so, he had opened the door to his seat, and secured his sombrero tightly behind the seat.

Jennifer rolled her eyes at the Lieutenant's quirks but didn't make much of it, instead silently lowering herself and entering her seat.

Since she likes to eat food, especially fast-food, she tends to have a lot of it on her. As shown by the fact that she had three more burgers in the car, waiting in the small front trunk of her side-seat.

Lt Dasli certainly didn't mind when she bought it.

''So did you hear the orders'' Dasli, in a moment of seriousness asked without adding his mexican intonation, leaning his body on the frame of the doors as he watched the Commander walk towards her own car with a nod of her head.

''Yes. We are supposed to extract a VIP from Hazama, isn't that right''

''Right. That is, more or less all we needed to tell you.'' He wondered why didn't they tell him to do this yesterday. He was basically a few minutes away from the girl and he could have taken her. He was told by an old friend that worked with another organization that she was there, and that the boy near her might be interesting.

His jaw still hurt from that upper cut.

Suì-Fēng stopped and looked at him with a deadpan look. ''Do tell me then, what were you doing here.'' skeptically, she asked.

Dasli smirked and asked with a disbelieving tone of voice. ''So? I can't say hi to my Little Bee'' He smiled crookedly at her and choose to ignore the glare she sent him at her nickname.

''When you get run over by a car it shouldn't be listed under accidents, Liutenant''

''You wound me Suì-chan''

''Roll over and die!''

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

''There you are!'' Naruto verbally exclaimed as he managed to find Sara within the crowd of girls. He had just spent a good two minutes shouting her name out loud, and has most likely attracted several odd looks from the others, not that he cared or anything.

He was, however trying to keep a straight face as he walked towards the smaller blonde, pushing through the small crowd. What was with that? Something with Yaoi, Kiba and Issei.

By the time he had reached her, the smaller girl was trying to hold in her laughter at the scene and frankly, so was he once he understood what was going on.

Suddenly however, his entire body tensed as an incredible sense of dread and emptiness washed over him, a powerful pressure pouring down on the area. Naruto's hand began to twitch and he had to stop it from trying to reach for the Kusanagi within his pocket.

For once in his life, Naruto Uzumaki looked around his surroundings in complete fear. So powerful was this dread that crept in the air. He discreetly, if a little frantically checked their surroundings in the search for the source.

The despair. It made him fill weak in the stomach and he wanted nothing more than to run away, his will power being the only thing that allowed him to stay put. Nobody else seemed to have noticed it, and nobody seemed to react to the sensation.

But as fast as it came, it vanished.

The tattoo on his neck pulsed with an eerie red as his body was submerged into pure agony, but it to vanished as quickly as the first sensation did. Naruto was left wide-eyed as he bit his tongue not to scream out in pain.

He could have sworn Orochimaru just bathed him inside his own chakra, and his insides churned at the thought. That was definitely chakra he had just sensed. It was chakra in some way or form, and his cursed seal, probably the only thing with chakra on him was reacting to the feeling of it's masters power.

''Ah, Onii-chan, look, look'' Sara said to him with a snicker. Complying with her for the moment, if only to have something to distract him, he focused on the commotion around them.

Various girls were either glaring at Issei for tainting Kiba with his presence, or they were trying to over shout each-other with the proper form of the Yaoi pairing between the two opposites. The School Prince and the Perverted Pariah.

It was fairly amusing, he had to admit. But... that feeling, that powerful pressure. It reeked of death. It had made Naruto very, very concerned about his existence for an odd reason.

He forced a smile and tried to laugh when Sara noticed he didn't laugh along with her, but he wasn't putting any of his real emotions into it.

What or whoever it was that could have projected such an energy, it would be beast that he remained away from it's presence. He had allowed his guard to lover and could have paid a price for it. He would be prepared if anything happened, next time, oh he would.

The idea that Orochimaru was still alive and so close made his head spin, but it was impossible. He remembered killing the bastard himself with a Futon: Rasenshuriken, before chopping of his head and destroying his remains with a small Bijudama.

There was no way he had survived. If he did, there was no way that he was here.

He glanced at Sara once more. For now, he had to play it cool.

''Sara-chan. Don't point fingers at people'' he chastised her on a reflex when he noticed that she was still pointing a finger at Issei. Then they heard another pervert shout out a name of a porno as he approached Issei.

Now they had front row seats for the ensuing reaction. It promised to be amusing, that was one certainty of this whole debacle.

Poor Issei, he will be skinned alive if they catch him now.

It wouldn't take long for the boy to go through his Fight or Flight process. Not being an idiot, he chose flight response and hightailed it once he spotted the axes that the girls seemingly materialized out of thin air.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at that ability. It would seem that every woman had her own little pocket dimension for anti-pervert weapons on her.

''Hehehe, that was so funny'' Sara laughed to herself as the group of girls gave chase and left them in their wake, leaving them to blink at the back of the horde in a stupefied manner.

''Let's go Sara. And stay by my side this time'' Naruto told her sternly as they continued to walk towards the school gates. Sara following after him with her head bowed. He hadn't explained what ir why was he using such a stern tone.

She most likely guessed it was because she had sneaked away.

It was in fact because he still felt terrified from the power that had washed over him.

''Onii-chan?''

Well Sara didn't seem to be down for long. Whatever Rias did to her, it was proving to be a blessing in disguise and a thorn in his ass.

''Yes'' Naruto responded in a neutral tone. He wanted her to know that he didn't appreciate her running off like that from him.

So he was a little overprotective.

''Onii-chaan~'' she cutely said this time. He didn't know why, but something pulled on him, forcing him to look at her. He felt dread, brief, minor dread go up his spine as he did so, against his better judgment.

''Hmm?'' and came face to face with her Kicked Puppy Look

''Can we go to the playground?''

What! No! They don't have time for playing right now, she was in danger the longer they waited.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Off in the distance, there was a little hill stretching into the sky on the horizon. It was located a small distance away from the outskirts of Hazama City, barely a few miles from the first building.

Within the forest atop that hill, a bright light shone through the treetops. But this light didn't come from the sky. Oh no.

It's source was a large series of Kanji characters made out of black, energy infused ink, rotating in mid-air. There were two rows of these Kanji, with the inner ring rotating in the counterclockwise direction and the outer ring in a clockwise direction.

They circled each other in a slow dance, a mesmerizing rhythm of calligraphy. The two ring's suddenly ceased to revolve, and flipping where it floated, it slammed itself into the ground beneath it, raising a small amount of smoke.

The animals that have been attracted by the bizarre picture tried to run away, to get away from the sudden disturbance in their peaceful existences, but before they could do such a thing, over half of them died.

Rabbits thumped to the ground and the smaller birds plummeted down from the sky in a radius of 500 ft, the epicenter being located at the exact same spot that the rings have first appeared. For a moment, everything was silent.

The deadly silence was then broken by a young and irate female voice coming from the small dust cloud. The voice radiated irritation, but there owner was shivering as she spoke to him.

''Damn it Ulquiorra, what did Okaa-sama tell you about keeping your power contained when you step through the portal and we exit it?!'' the young voice seemed to be berating one of her companions as she walked out of the dust cloud created by the deployment of their _Jikūkan_ fuinjutsu ring.

A rather short girl in her teens walked out of the dust cloud with a tick mark on her head. The girl's name is Kyomi, a 16 year old girl with a slender, feminine build figure standing at the height of 5'1''. The girl has fair skin which blends well with her current attire, deep violet eyes that stands out, fiery red hair with strands that framed both sides of her face and a black clip that parts her hair to the left, keeping it out of her eyes.

Her current attire, or better yet her uniform consisted of a sleek suit of a gun-metal colored Armour with a red trimming that has small crosses in several places. It had many parts that made up the outfit. She had a short, sea-blue skirt that went to her knees under a plate skirt and tall black boots.

The outfit consisted of 2 small, shoulder pauldrons that hugged her shoulders and flexed with her movement, not inhibiting her agility in the slightest. A chest clasp is followed by plates flanking her hips that reach down to her waist-guard. The plates were forged and placed in a way that it appeared as a single piece of armor, as it was very smooth and bonded perfectly together. She also had wrist cuffs, hand plates and graves on her.

Tied around her forehead is a dark orange bandanna with a red trimming. Her usually expressive and gentle face was however, set in a fierce scowl as she turned around on her spot with her arms crossed, glaring at her male teammate that had followed right after her in his usual cold silence, not even blinking to keep his eyes clear of the dust.

The man that had followed after her has a slender, yet fairly muscular build. He walked up to her wearing his usual melancholic appearance. He has fairly short, messy black hair, pale white skin, a black upper lip, and green eyes with small slit-shaped pupils, similar to a cat's. Part of his bangs falls between his eyes, and he has distinctively thick eyebrows.

His face twitched into a small frown of distaste as he approached her. Ulquiorra has teal lines which descend from the lower part of his eyes. His clothes consisted of a high-collar black jacket with a white trimming, a red sash and white hakama pants.

The man, now known as Ulqoira looked at her with a neutral look before frowning in the direction of the city ''Why should I bother. This human trash don't have the ability to detect my presence, nor can the Three Factions detect us as long as I will it?''

The girl faltered for a moment at his quick rebuttal of her complaint. While what he said did have merit to it, she didn't want to risk anything during this assignment. It was too important for her. There was finally some hope for her Kaa-san, and if everything went according to plan, she would have a full family.

While her teammates were supposed to find the second Cursed Gear vessel in order to remove it at a latter point, she was given another 'mission'. For nearly 5 months, her mother was constantly worried and wondered what could she do.

Her son had finally crossed the Dimensional Barrier that she and that other woman had over three hundred years ago. Her mother wanted more than anything to talk to him, but she was afraid. Her son most likely hated her, and she couldn't blame him. Kyomi's task is to find the boy and try to get close to him while her teammates looked for the Maseramu girl.

''Because you're chakra is really creepy and we can't be sure of that, can we?'' Kyomi replied as she hugged herself tight and shivered as the lingering energy slowly dissipated. That was the problem. The moment they went through one of her Kaa-san's rings, his control would falter over his chakra and literally blanket the area.

Kyomi liked the guy somewhat, she really did. He could be polite when he allowed himself to be and when he whipped that eternal frown of his face, but his energy just gave her the goosebumps.

Then there was the small conversation with her mother. She had warned her never to let your guard down around such foul energy. While her Kaa-san had complete faith in the older boy, she knew that his psyche was damaged in some way and that it affected his energy.

She should know, she had allowed herself, a long, long time ago, to become a husk of emotions, and it had resulted in her energy gaining a similar feel to it as she followed after her father's foolish plans.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issei followed Kiba through the forest located around the Academy, and they ended up at a place behind the school building. The young pervert looked around, and noted that there were a lot of tree's on school grounds.

Anyway, in this place, which is oh so conveniently surrounded by trees, there is a building called the old school building. Apparently it was used a long time ago, and there is no sign of people here. It's so creepy that it is listed in one of "the seven wonders of school".

WhUUUuuuuuuUuu! –[insert creepy ghost sounds]

The building looks very old and is made from wood, but there aren't any broken windows and it's hard to tell if there are any broken parts from its appearance alone on the outside.

It's old, but it doesn't seem that bad.

"Buchou is here." Issei heard Kiba say after several minutes of comfortable silence. They passed underneath a low branch, grazing the shadows of the tree, with the sun's light barely touching them directly as they proceeded forward, towards the old school building.

_'Buchou? Is he talking about Senpai? Huh? Buchou?Did Senpai belong to a particular_ club?' Issei wondered as the two devils walked closer towards the, admirably quite a beautiful entrance. The pervert who would be a Harem King then looked at his 'guide'.

_'Does this mean he is part of that club as well? It's getting even more mysterious. Oh well, as long as I follow this guy, I will be able to meet with Himejima-Senpai.'_ That was how Issei quickly surmised his thoughts with a mental shrug at the end of it.

The two second years proceeded to enter the two-story building through the beautiful entrance. They walked through the notably antique old, but still perfectly functioning doors, and went up the stairs. Issei offhandedly noted, mildly impressed that they didn't produce a peep or a squeak, even if their appearance leaned more on the occurence of such. He had feared that he would fall through the stairs the moment he placed some weight on them.

They went further into the building.

Issei cupped his chin as his head turned left and right the further they made their way inside. The corridors looked clean, exceptionally so, in this building. The rooms that aren't used, but have the door's opened anyway, most likely for venting the air, don't have a single speck of dust in them, and everything is spaciously sorted out.

The wooden furniture was obviously quite old, the design was something that might have come out of the era between the 16th and 17th century. It is exactly what one would imagine for a Victorian noble house.

Now, when you think about old buildings, you expect it to be full of insects, spider webs, and dust. But there was none yet. _'So they must be cleaning this building quite often. '_

Everything was squeaky clean, and it even glistened from the clarity, like those commercials often make the furniture do. Issei never thought something like that could happen.

_'Make that quite often...I don't think I could ever hope to have something so clean in my house' _Issei thought as he looked all over the place, his eyes roaming the inside of the Old School Building as they made their way through the beautiful hallways.

While the pervert was thinking about these things, the two males have reached their destination, indicated by Kiba stopping in front of a particular classroom. The Knight turned his head around partially and looked at the pervert from the corner of his eye.

Issei was shocked by the sign on the door that read— [Occult Research Club]

_'Occult Research Club!? Just reading that name makes me wonder. I'm not saying that the club sounds weird. But thinking that Akeno-Senpai is the member of the Occult Research Club is… '_the boy thought as he brough a hand up to the back of his head, scratching it momentarily in confusion.

The brown-haired pervert was a little bewildered at the revelation, and it showed on his face, if only for a moment before he gave himself a mental shrug and decided to go with the flow.

"Buchou, I have brought him." he heard Kiba call out, in that soft-ish voice that made the girls go gaga around the faculty. The two of them were left standing in the hallway, as it would appear that they would have to wait for the approval that would apparently come from the other side of the wooden door.

[Thank you, captain obvious sir!]

[No problem, private oblivious.]

[Sir, screw you. Sir!]

They didn't have to wait for long. After just a few moments, a discernible female voice, one that Issei didn't recognize but thought that it was terribly familiar, reached through the doors from the other side.

"Yes, come in."

Kiba opens the door and walks inside, followed closely by Issei who is shocked at the room's appearance. Stepping inside, the pervert looked around in wonder at the sight. Issei could see various weird symbols, signs and what he supposed were words in every area of the classroom.

The floor.

The walls.

The ceiling.

They were all covered with these weird signs. But in a moment, all of them bar one vanish in a crimson light. Something about that light seemed familiar, but he wasn't really paying attention to that.

He was paying attention to the fact that-

They just vanished.

He brought his arm up and rubbed his eyes.

Yep, all of them bar one were gone. _'What in the world...how...they were here one moment and the next they are gone_.' The boy then looked at the one which stood out originally in the mess of symbols when he entered.

It was a circle drawn at the center of the room. It looked like some kind of anime magic-circle-thing that takes up most of the space in this room. Issei could feel something weird and creepy coming from it and decided to keep his distance, if only to be safe.

The boy then took his eyes off the weird circle-thingy and look around the room again, now that the squibles weren't in his way.

There are also a couple of sofas and desks in the room. There is someone sitting on one of the sofas. It's a girl with a small build… A light bulb light up above Issei's head as he snapped his fingers together.

_'I know her. I know that girl!That's the girl from 1st year, Toujou Koneko-chan! She's from 1st year, but she looks like an elementary student because of her childish face and small body_!' Issei realised, the comprehension dawning on his face for barely a moment, before it was gone, and the boy looked at the small silver-haired girl with hints of perversion slipping in.

Koneko's quite popular amongst a certain groups of guys. She's popular among the girls as well and is treated as a mascot for being cute. She has a hot loli look going for her.

She is eating youkan quietly with a sleepy expression visible on her cute face. The girl is very emotionless at times, and is polite towards others. As long as they aren't perverts.

She glanced towards the entrance, still munching on the youkan, and their eyes met for a moment.

Indifference. That was what Issei managed to read from the brief glance. He was already going through all of his data about her. File #5545 Loli

"Issei this is Touyou Koneko-chan. Koneko this is Hyoudou Issei-kun." Kiba said as he stepped in between them, and pointed at the two of them respectfully with his right palm, which was open, as opposed to his left which was stuffed inside his pocket.

With the formal introduction underway, Koneko bows her head minutely "Ah, nice to meet you." She said quietly, looking at him with the corner of her eye.

Issei followed with a bow after her. With that done, she returned to eating her youkan silently, nibbling on it like a cat.

It made a really cute picture.

_'Hmm. It's just like the rumor says. Maybe she is a girl who doesn't talk much._ ' Issei concluded after that short 2-line conversation and looked around. He took a detailed look at the window on the other side of the room, and then he spotted a vase holding a single, red rose.

SHA-

This is the sound of water flowing, coming from the back of the room to the far right. Issei wondered if it was a shower, as strange as that sounded. By the time his head turned towards it, he received a positive reply to his mental question. It really was a shower.

Then the boy realises that there is a shower curtain at the back of the room!

There was also a shadow on the curtain. _'It's the shadow of a girl. There is a girl taking a shower...hehe, I wonder who is it. And how does she look without that piece of fabric in of the way'._ The ever-analytical mind of the pervert concluded and wondered at the same, and a small blush formed on his face at the prospect of seeing a girl naked up close.

And then the reality hit him in the head, with the fact that there was a shower in the classroom._'Huh!? A shower!? This classroom comes with a shower!?_ ' That was incredible in his opinions, and if the girls used it he would have more opportunities to see their bodies without any clothes ruining the view if he joined the club.

Jiraya would be so proud, he might have adopted the guy if he was alive in that moment.

KYU

Then there is the sound of the shower stopping. The sounds of footsteps reaches his ears and he perked up at the next voice.

"Buchou, take this." That voice belonged to Akeno Himejima-senpai, as it carried that specific chirp and smoothness to it.

"Thank you, Akeno." Now he managed to recognise that first voice. It belonged to one of the two Academy's goddesses, Rias Gremory.

Looks like Rias-Senpai is changing behind the curtain. The boy blushes, remembering the one time he managed to take a peak at her body during P.E. _'Senpai, you sure had an impressive body. Looks like I won't be needing porn for a while if I join '_

A grin, a very perverted grin starts to form on Issei's face. There was a miniscule amount of drool forming at the ends of his mouth, and a slight trickle of blood left his nose. He tried to quiet down his giggling, but it wasn't really working out for him.

"…What a lecherous face." Someone mutters from behind him, quietly.

Issei searched for the person in the direction of the voice. It's Toujou Koneko-chan. He looks at her, but the little first year student is just eating youkan._ '…Is that so. So I have a lecherous face. I'm sorry then._ ' Issei stared at her for a moment, a sad emotion appearing on his face. It was thoroughly ignored by the little Nekoshou cat-girl in favor of her food.

The boy wondered why did he feel so sorry for himself at that moment, and after a second of debilitating, shrugged the thoughts away. He was a healthy hot-blooded male who is open about his likes and the things he wants. He was a proclaimed and open pervert, not bothering to hide such emotions and thoughts underneath a facade.

He didn't seem to realize that most girls didn't like such people.

JYA-

Then the curtain opens. The boy quickly looked in the direction of the shower with the hopes of seeing Gremory-senpai naked. Alas, it was not to be, as he saw her standing there, looking quite regally even with a simple uniform.

She looked quite seductive with her wet hair, as it swayed lightly from the movement of her head. She looked at him, then smiled.

Her long crimson hair, which comes down to her hips makes her surroundings look like it's colored in crimson, and the wind that decided to blow into the room through the window made her hair stand out as it gently swayed on the current.

Her beautiful skin, which is white as snow, is remarkable in the slightly dimmed light of the room.

Beautiful.

That's the only way to describe her in one word. And that was the only word one needed to describe her. She was gorgeous and carried an atmosphere of nobility and regallity of a princess. Everyone stops whatever they are doing when she walks by in the halls, as they are too busy being fascinated by her looks to bother doing anything else.

Their eyes met. There's something in her clear blue eyes, with a tint of green to them that grabs a hold of him in that moment.

_'I feel as if my heart is being grabbed by her. What is this feeling? It's that feeling you get when someone who is more superior to you is standing in front of you…_ ' Issei thought in that moment, feeling his head getting light from staring at her too much.

Even if it was a brief, brief stare. He also noted that he was staring at her face, especially her eyes, instead of her assets. In that moment he concluded that his wiring need a through check-up and fixing soon, as it seemed to be getting its priorities mixed.

She narrows her blue eyes and it seems like she is smiling wider.

_'Is she looking at me? It can't be. I don't have any connection to her_.' He thought as he started to remember that strange dream from last night. He could remember, just barely if he tried hard enough, that at the end of the attack on him by the black-winged male, she was there.

The person with crimson hair who spoke to him. The person that seemed to be gentle and cold at the same time.

''How are you feeling today. I'm sorry if you had to wait long. I couldn't take a shower last night because I had some important business to take care of, so I took a shower now. Nice to meet your acquaintance formally" Rias said as she took a step closer into the room, her wet hair whisking behind her briefly, and that one idiot hair falling to the front with the regal movement.

'_...Aaahhhh, is that so?..._ ' Issei thought with a tint of scepticism at her behaviour and words, but didn't think too much off it.

But the one thing that was bugging him in that moment, was the fact that there was a shower in the room. This room.

Seriously, who puts a shower in the classroom. Then his manners kick in.

"O-Oh. My name is Hyoudou Issei. N-Nice to meet you too!" Even if he was feeling highly nervous in that moment, Issei greeted her with as much politeness as he could muster.

In Japan, it was normal to behave polite when introducing oneself. It was expressed much more intensely in the land of the rising sun than the rest of the world.

The boy wanted to make a decent first, or was it second impression, and it had, in no way, shape or form any connection with perversion, or trying to take a peek at her goodies, as impossible as that sounded.

Yeah right. This was a member of the notorious Perverted Trio after all.

Rias nodded to herself at the introductions, and decided to begin with her story. The sooner she started, the sooner would the facts be brought up and the boy would realise the applications of his situation.

She brings her right palm up, and with it moves the idiot hair aside. Even with such a simple thing, she appeared to be exotic in a special way.

"Looks like everyone is here. Hyoudou Issei-kun. No, will you let me call you Ise." Rias asked as she looked around the room, taking a mental check up of her pieces in it, also adding into the account her Queen Akeno who walked up behind her in that moment, and stood there patiently.

"Y-Yes." Issei stuttered nervously. He didn't know why, but being in her presence made him feel small and inconsequential right now. She 'hmmed' for a moment, pondering her thoughts, before she inclined her head to the side, and looked around her pieces, passing over each momentarily.

Then she stopped, and looked towards Akeno who seemed to have snuck away in the short time span that she took to begin and collect her thoughts before speaking. Her search didn't last long, as her Queen appeared within a few seconds, carrying a tray with teacups.

Akeno quirked her lips up in a small smile as everyone stared at her, and waltzed towards the desk with the tray, giving Rias a small wink with her right eye. Rias looked at her confusedly before sighing to herself and smiling at her as Akeno passed everyone a cup.

"Here's your tea." Since Issei was the furthest one away, she had to bow a little lower to hand him his tea, her actions making her voluptuous breast bounce within the school uniform.

Issei would have taken that moment to admire the mounds of flesh, if he didn't feel so strange and isolated in the classroom.

There was something in the air that made him jittery, and Rias's presence as his King only made it worse, her words nad actions so far confusing the perverted lad quite thoroughly. Or better yet, he lack of explanation. What was he supposed to be doing here?

"Ah, thank you." Issei thanked a little awkwardly, but nodded towards her with his head nonetheless. He brought the cup, a porcelain white cup with flower decorations in various angles along the midriff up to his mouth, and blew at the surface with his breath once, taking a quick sip.

...

..sip..

...

"It tastes really good." Issei praised Akeno's er..tea-making skills as he took another sip, using the moment of silence to enjoy the hot drink. Well if she ever needed to find a job, one in a tea-house would be perfect for her.

"Ara ara. Thank you very much." Himejima-senpai starts laughing very happily by saying "Ufufu" as she covered her mouth with her sleeve.

Her King looked at her, a little annoyed by the interruption, and patted the seat by her side with her hand."Akeno, you sit over here as well."

"Yes, Buchou." Himejima-senpai replied curtly with a smile never leaving her face, as she walked around the sofas and sat next to her King with another set of graceful movements that didn't belong on anything short of royalty.

Then everyone looks at Issei.

''W-What is it…'' Issei gets nervous if everyone looks at him in a small place like this…like right now...

Then Rias-senpai speaks, her blue eyes piercing his own. She leaned forwards and clapped her hands together. This in due cause brought her elbows closer to her body, doing wonderful things to Issei's view as her breast were pronounced, as noted by the brown-haired pervert.

Once a pervert, always a pervert.

"I will get to the point right away. We are all...''

**[Play**: Black Veil Brides We Stitch These Wounds]

...Devils." She finished that sentence with another breathtaking smile gracing her lips.

Issei looked at her like her body had just sprouted a set of heads with opposite spectrum of hair-colors atop them. That was very blunt and totally ridiculous.

Rias preferred to be blunt in certain cases when needed, and she had already taken far too long to do this. The last night's attack on her pawn only confirmed this.

Taking note of Ise's confusion, Rias decided to clarify their relationship as a King and Servant. It's usually best to begin with that part before telling them that they could be attacked by Angels, exorcist and Fallen Angels.

"My name is Rias Gremory. I am a Devil. And I am your Master. Nice to meet you, Hyoudou Ise-kun." She informed him oh so bluntly in a soft and calm, but a little cold voice. It had carried a tone of affection in it towards her new little brother as her eyes betrayed nothing but belief that what she said was the truth.

.

—!

...

...

_'Dad and Mum. Looks like I'm in for something big.' _Issei thought with a blank look on his face as he leaned back into the chair and made himself comfortable. This would definitely be interesting story to listen to.

These people seemed a bit crazy and he would better pretend to believe them while he was in the room.

He glanced at the cup of tea in his hands and decided not to drink a single drop more.

Maybe there was something in the water here that made them all delusional. Nearly spilling his tea, he put it down on the table in front of him. Rias looked at him with an intense gaze, making him feel small and inadequate. He guessed she had guessed what he had guessed.

It looked like she was searching for something only she could see, before she nodded and leaned back into the seat, crossing her legs over.

"Your expression says that you don't believe what I am saying. Well, that can't be helped.'' Issei restrained the overwhelming urge to say 'Really?' into her face, but she didn't seem to mind his doubt, only sending him a smirk.

That face, along with the way she was sitting made her look incredibly sexy though.

''You did see the man with black wings last night, didn't you?" she voiced the question in a light tone, as if she was stating a fact, and truthfully it was. She was right.

_'If that wasn't a dream, then I did really see that._' Issei thought with a single tear of sweet developing on his forehead, taking a closer look at his surroundings in case he needed to make a break. Survival instincts and all of that.

"That's a Fallen Angel. They are former Angels who served God, but they are beings who have fallen to hell because they had evil intentions. They are also the enemy of us Devils." Rias started her short explanation of the events last night, beginning with the basic information that would help Issei gain a perspective of it all.

_'So now we are talking about a Fallen Angel. Looks like we are entering a fantasy genre._ ' Issei thought with a measure of scepticism. All of this sounded like stuff from the European Christianity, what was with that. They are in Japan after all!

"We, the Devils, have been at war with the Fallen Angels since ancient times. We have been fighting over the possession of the Underworld, which is also known as Hell in the human world. The Underworld is split into two main areas, one for Devils and one for Fallen Angels. The Devils form pacts with humans and receive their sacrifices and increase their strength. The Fallen Angels on the other hand control humans to eliminate Devils. At this point the Angels come in to destroy these two races on God's orders, which creates the three forces. This has been going on since ancient times." She began her somewhat long explanation with one sitting of a speech, losing Issei by the second time she said the world 'Devils'.

"No no, Senpai. That kind of story is hard to take in by a normal student like myself. Is this what members of Occult Research Club do?" Issei said as he waved his hands in front of him in a way to gain her attention.

_'So this conversation has been the club activity then. Maybe I should steer clear of the nuts_' He thought as he gained a moment of silence, the red-head in front of him looking at him with a small, barely detectable note of annoyance for interrupting her in the middle of her story.

"Occult Research Club is just a camouflage. It's my hobby. It's actually a gathering place for us Devils." She continued on undesturbed before she realised that this would be pretty big for some normal human to grasp if he didn't already believe in such things. All three of her pieces were well aware of the supernatural world at first.

It was only natural. Human society has developed today with the help of science and anything that was not documented, researched and has several draining facts concluded on the subject is often believed to be a fantasy.

It's a way to cope with what they can't or don't want to understand, or just want to forget along with the annals of history.

…Hold on, this is part of the club activity right?

"—Amano Yuuma" Rias uttered. Her words had the effect of bringing all of Issei's attention on her, his eyes having closed somewhere in the last few seconds in an effort to try and sort the information through.

Hearing that name, Issei's eyes open in shock.

Where did she hear that name? '_Well she was there yesterday with Naruto-senpai, but i never spoke Yuuma-chan's family name in front of him'_ The boy thought, his curiosity skyrocketing now that he believed he had some measure of information about his girlfriend.

"That day, you were on a date with Amano Yuuma, right?" Akeno butted in the conversation with her question, and Issei looked at them with eyes that gained some measure of sharpness in them, indicating that he didn't like the direction this conversation was heading.

"…If you are joking around, then can you please stop now? I don't want to talk about this here." There is anger in his 's because that topic is like a taboo to him he talked about it before, no one believed him, and no one remembered her beside's one student.

Everyone said it must have been a dream. That it was my hallucination. His friends didn't believe him and didn't remember her existence when he spoke about it. In fact they ridiculed him for saying something that was connected with the topic.

'I _don't know where she heard the story from, but I won't accept it if she says that it is all occult. Instead, I will be mad_.' The thoughts that ran in Issei's mind stated, his fist beginning to clench together. He was concentrating on keeping his anger down.

"She existed. For certain." Rias-senpai says that clearly, no trace of doubt in her eyes as she brushed a hand through her hair brushing his words away. She straightened it out and inclined her head to the side for a moment as she placed her finger on her chin in thought.

"Well, it looks like she tried to erase all of the evidence around you." She verbally concluded after a moment, clicking her fingers together. With that click Himejima-senpai takes out a photo. The rest of the Occult Club just sat there in silence, observing him while their King spoke.

Issei's speechless after seeing who is in that photo.

"This is her, right? Amano Yuuma." Akeno asked with a doubtless voice, her question not needing an answer, but was still given one. Issei nodded as he looked at the girl on it, his eyes softening in solemn thought. _'Yeah, the person on the photo is my girlfriend who I wasn't able to find anywhere. '_ he thought depressed.

He had taken a picture of her with his mobile phone, but it had disappeared. The photo is a clear picture of her, and there are black wings growing from her back. Rias realized that she had given him enough time to gaze at it in thought, and spoke up.

"This girl is…no, this is a Fallen Angel. She's the same kind as the one that attacked you last night." …A Fallen Angel? Yuuma-chan is a Fallen Angel?

Rias-senpai continues. "This Fallen Angel came in contact with you to accomplish a certain goal. After she accomplished it, she got rid of any record and evidence regarding herself." Issie looked up at her with a question mark written over his face, not understanding where was she going along with this.

"Goal?" What goal. Yuuma-chan's a sweet girl that went out with him on a date, and then mysteriously disappeared with no evidence of her left behind.

"Yes. To kill you."

—! W-What the hell!

"W-Why did she have to kill me!?" Issei stuttered out, his body reeling back a bit from shock as hearing ...those words. To kill him. Why? Sure he appreciated the female body, but that was no reason to try and assassinate him.

"Calm down, Ise. It couldn't be helped... No, you were just unlucky. There are possessors who weren't killed…" Rias said as she tried to bring him out of his shock. She should have worded that a little better. Maybe.

"What do you mean, unlucky!" Issei demanded with a louder voice, his confidence coming back and returning with a vengeance. His anger which was lurking beneath was getting pushed to the surface. Was she seriously saying that he was just unlucky to be killed by Yuuma-chan that day!?

Huh…? Wait a minute.

_'Killed? But I'm still alive? I'm still here like before.' _He wondered as he stopped before his aggressive front got him into too much trouble. The people in the room have been all polite in the time he was here and he didn't want to cause a scene... yet.

"That day, you went on a date with her and then went to the park, where you were killed with Spear of Light." Rias said as she summarized the events within one sentence, leaving no room for imagination of what happened in the end.

"But I'm still alive! More than that, why was I targeted!?" Issei asked as he took a deeeep breath and looked at her with a pointed look that said. _'Are you blind or stupid. I'm alive._' It was mostly a cover to hide his thought that ran amok.

_'Yeah. There aren't any reasons for me to be targeted by her. Why do I have to be targeted by the Fallen Angels!?_ '

"The reason why she approached you is so she could check if there is a dangerous thing inside you. She must have received a weak response from it. That's why she took her time checking you. Then she confirmed it. That you were a human who possessed a Sacred Gear —-" Here the boy tuned her speech out, remembering something that happened at the end. His head felt like it was on fire just my thinking over the memory.

—_Sorry. You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you. _That's what Yuuma-chan said at that time. '_So there's a Sacred Gear inside my body…? ' _He thought with a visible frown marring his face as he realised that he had no idea what this sacred Gear was.

Kiba then speaks, seeing his confusion at the subject. He decided to explain to him just what it was that made them kill him. It might help with the adjustment process, to know why did he have to die in the first place, becouse the God did something. Unnoticed by them, his eyes narrowed at the thought.

"Sacred Gear is an irregular power that is bestowed to certain humans. For example, most of the people whose names are recorded in history are said to be possessors of a Sacred Gear. They used the power of their Sacred Gear to record their name in history." Here he stopped to collect his thoughts and Himejima-senpai decided to continue after him, waving a hand to gain Issei's attention, it having turned to Kiba as he spoke.

"Presently, there are people who possess Sacred Gears within their bodies. You know those people who play an important role worldwide? Most of those people possess a Sacred Gear." She didn't say much, just the basic outline and Rias decided that she would just have to tell him herself the next part.

So she continued to explain, a smile on her face as she tried to keep Issei's nerves calm and down. "Most of the Sacred Gears have functions that are only usable in the human society. But there are exceptional Sacred Gears that are a threat to us, the Devils, and Fallen Angels. Ise, raise your hand."

_'Eh? I have to raise my hand? Why?' _

"Do it quickly." Rias-sempai urges Issei to do it, so he complied and raised his left arm in the air, looking a little comical like that. With that done, Rias continued to give him instructions on how to activate his Sacred Gear.

"Close your eyes and imagine the strongest thing that comes to mind." She advised, catching him off-duard by that command. He had no idea what this had to do with anything.

"S-Strongest being…? Son Goku from Dragon Ball…?" At his words, he could swear he saw her eye twitch once, but put it off as a trick of the mind. Rias, whenever she decided to ignore his words or not, said.

"Then imagine it, and imagine that person in a particular pose where he looks the strongest." Ooookay...

"…" Issei stares at her dumbly, but after seeing that she won't budge from her words he complied, and imagined Goku when he is shooting his Kamehameha. _'Is this alright?'_ he wondered as he imagined the pose

"Lower your arm slowly and stand up." Rias said as she used her hand to illustrate these actions, acting like she was explaining things to a child in the moment. Issei didn't catch it. So he got up from the comfortable sofa and lowered his arm.

"Now mimic the pose of that person. You have to imagine it strongly, okay? You cannot hold back." Rias said as everyone looked at him, their attention centered on his next actions. Crap.

The boy walked into the clear space and looked at the other teen's in the room, nearly all of them near adolescence and felt a bead of sweat travel down his head. _'There are people around me, and I have to copy Goku doing Kamehameha at this age!? I'm too embarrassed to do it_!'

_'Just because I'm closing my eyes doesn't mean that no one will laugh at me!' _he wailed as he imagined how humiliating it would feel to do something like that at his age. Seriously, what is he. 8?

"Hurry and do it." Rias-senpai urges him again with more force behind her words.

_'Ooooooi! Are you serious! Do I seriously have to do it!? Shit! Then look! It's Hyoudou Issei's first and last time doing Kamehameha! '_ He said as he stood up in a pose taken from Dragon Ball, and took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he concentrated. Might as well get it over with.

"Kamehameha!" He said it while he had both of his opened hands stuck together and pushed them forward at chest height. This is the Kamehameha pose. A childish and ridiculous pose to do for a guy his age.

"Now, open your eyes. In this place which is filled with demonic power, the Sacred Gear will be able to appear more easily." Rias said as she got up and walked a bit closer to him, inspecting the pose with a scrutinising eye.

Issei opened his eyes just like Rias-senpai tells him to. His left arm starts to glow a faint red.

FLASH! The glow intensifies and creates a visual pulse. The light starts to take form and covers his left arm.

_'Whaaaaat!? What is this!? What is this!? Can I pull off Kamehameha now!?' _He thought a little childishly, glad that nobody could see his face due to the light, because he was sure they would have cracked at it.

After the light disappears, his left arm is covered in a red gauntlet. It's equipped with a flashy looking object. It looks like a very fine and realistic cosplay item. The part that covers the back of Issei's hand has a gem-like object embedded in it. Actually, it looks more like a jewel instead of a just a gem.

"What the hell is thiiiiiiiis!?" He screamed in shock, almost jumping out of his shoes at the sight. It was definitely something you could not be prepared to see.

_'Obviously! What is this!? I thought I did a Kamehameha, but instead I got an item on my arm that looks like something Henshin Heroes use! Uwaah, what is this!?' _

"That's a Sacred Gear. And it belongs to you. Once it appears, you can use it anywhere and anytime as you will." Rias explained a she and the rest of her peerage took a closer look at the gauntlet.

_'—! T-This red gauntlet is a Sacred Gear…? Eeeeeeeh… I still can't believe it. I shot a Kamehameha and I…I… '_

"The Fallen Angel, Amano Yuuma, saw your Sacred Gear as a threat and therefore killed you." She continued from her previous explanation after a moment of awed, in Issei's case silence. She could almost see the gears in his head working overtime as he processed the information.

_'…So the thing about Yuuma-chan and the Sacred Gear was all real. Then the part where I was killed by her was real too...? So how am I alive? _' because for a zombie, he felt really lively and energetic, even if he was sleepy half the time.

"You called me when you were on the verge of death. I was summoned through this paper." Rias-senpai said as she reached for an object on the table and pulls out a single leaflet from a stack of them.

Partial comprehension dawns on him at the sight of the paper. _'I know that leaflet. When I was waiting for Yuuma-chan at the meeting spot, one of the people giving out leaflets gave me one. It's a leaflet with a weird magic circle and a catchphrase that reads, "We will grant your wish!" '_ As he looked at it carefully, he noticed that the magic circle on the leaflet is the same as the big magic circle on the floor of the classroom, an obvious connection that he had trouble placing, besides the glaring fact and the words that Rias-sempai said.

"This is one of the leaflets we give out. This magic circle is used to summon us Devils. These days there aren't many people who would draw this circle to summon us. So we give these leaflets to people who look like they would summon Devils. This magic-circle is safe and easy to use. That day, one of our familiars was disguised as a human and was handing them out in the business district. You got it at that time, Ise. After you were attacked by the Fallen Angel, you called me while you were on the verge of death. You wished so hard that it summoned me. Usually my servants like Akeno and the others would be the ones to be summoned." She explained as she gave him a scrutinizing look. Something like that doesn't happen often, and neither does the fact that she had to use all 8 of her pawns to bring him under her Kingship.

Isse's face blanched to the colour of pale white, his body somehow losing all colour besides black and white. _'That time I was impaled by the Spear of Light…so I wished really hard. '_

"When I was summoned and saw you, I knew right away that you were a Sacred Gear possessor and that you were attacked by a Fallen Angel. But there was a problem. Ise, you were on the brink of death. Not just Devils, but humans also die if impaled by a Fallen Angels spear of light. Ise, you were in that kind of condition. So I decided to save your life." She said as she took the leaflet out of his hand and placed it back on the pile. She turned around and leaned on the arm on the sofa.

_'Save my life? So Senpai was the one who helped me? So that's why I'm alive.' _Really, what was he supposed to believe at this point. He remembered his death now, the feeling of being speared through his gut and losing conciousness, choking on his own blood.

"Although, as a Devil. Ise, you were reborn as a Devil of mine, Rias Gremory's servant. As my servant Devil."

PA! At that moment, wings sprout from the backs of everyone around 're different from the black wings of Fallen Angels, their wings are like bat wings.

PA! And with that Issei also feels some kind of sensation on his back. With movement resembling a robot, with the colour now partially restored to his face, he looked over his shoulder. He sees the same black wings protruding from his back.

…Are you serious?

_'I'm a Devil? Did I quit being a human?' _he wondered frantically at the repercussions of such a fact. Would he wake up one day and eat his parents. Would he get ostracized by his surroundings if anyone learns of this.

"Let's introduce everyone anew. Yuuto." Rias said, pointing a delicate hand in Kiba's direction. Kiba smiles at Issei and pushes himself of the wall that he leaned on after Issei's activated his Sacred Gear.

"My name is Yuuto Kiba. As you already know, I'm a second year like you, Hyoudou Issei-kun. Umm, I'm a Devil too. Nice to meet you." He said with an awkward smile, not knowing if he should say something else, and bowed for a short moment. He then looked at the smallest hum...devil in the room.

"…First year. …Toujou Koneko. Pleased to make your acquaintance. …I'm a Devil too." Toujou Koneko-chan bows her head as well. She's not a person of many words apparently.

"My name is Himejima Akeno, and I'm in third year. I'm also the vice-president of this Occult Research Club. Nice to meet you. Even though I'm like this, I'm also a Devil. Ufufu." Himejima-senpai bows her head very politely in his direction. The laugh at the end creeped Issei out a bit though.

Lastly, it's Rias-senpai. She waves her crimson hair and says it very directly, not looking for a way to word it differently, as there was no real need.

"And I'm their master as well as being a Devil from the House of Gremory, Rias Gremory. My house holds the rank of a Duke. Let's get along from now on, Ise." She said with another smile on her face, giving him a look that would classify her as the big sister of the family, and the one to keep the siblings in line.

_'I'm in a really unthinkable situation, aren't I?_'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Play:** A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lovers [HD+Lyrics!]

On a desolate open road, located several miles to the north of Osaka prefecture suburbs, the peaceful and everlasting silence that has been settling upon the normally tranquil and desolate forest, a forest that had fewer and fewer trees the further you went down the desolate road, was broken briefly by the robust drumming of car engines passing by.

Two land mobile machines moving at a speed of approximately 60 KPH slowed down and nearly came to a halt, only for the first one make a left turn in the next second. The left turn led to nowhere, so why would they go down it?

Because, at least officially, it did lead to nowhere. The first vehicle out of the two was a blue coloured pick-up truck, transporting one male and one female as its cargo.

Inside the cabin, the temperature was at a nice and warm, more than comfortable level. It was a rising contrast to the temperature on the outside of the truck, where it was descending at a rapid pace. It had even began to snow a little as well.

Jennifer Sato, a young woman in her mid 20's had her elbow prepped upon the armrest built into the car door panel. Her head was leaning onto her closed palm, her right cheek resting atop her fist as she looked through the see-through bullet-prof glass, or better known as a window.

She took in the bald scenery, the sight of the messed up weather high above them, the murky clouds slowly strolling along and the nature that was slowly becoming more and more barren as they moved along.

''Waow'' she commented airily and dully in her distinct Western accent after scrutinising the scene under a pair of keen grey-blue eyes. Her voice had ended the not-so-silent silence between the two EHDI operatives, as the radio installed into the car played one of the stations airing in the area.

Dasli glanced at his companion from his seat as a driver with a lone green eye. Both of his larger than average hands were loosely planted on the wheel as he drove his puck-up truck.

''¿Qué es eso?'' the battle-junkie, part-time genius and Corps Lieutenant asked her as he returned his sight towards the road. He then mentally reminded himself how close they were to Nest Station's barrier, less then a mile away untill they reached it.

Jennifer didn't turn her head towards him immediately. Her brain first had to try translate the words from Spanish into her native language, English.

Even though she didn't understand Spanish, some words and phrases she could identify, either through the few words she did know, or the most likely context of the conversation.

Like that.

So, she in turn, also glanced towards the soldier before nodding her head in the direction of her window, not that he could see it, it was more for herself than anything.

''This place.'' She said, and then proceeded to explain before the man asked her ''One moment we are traveling through a warm and lush forest, and the next we are moving through a barren plain with snow falling atop of us.'' There wasn't really much to explain there, but it baffled the woman and she couldn't place it. She had heard that Mt Shikaga was strange, but this was unnatural.

''I see'' Dasli confirmed, briefly remembering for a moment a time when he was much younger. He had done the same thing when he first appeared here.

''It's the Zero located underneath the montaña'' Dasli articulated the reason for the strange environment, as he spotted the small sign that signified that they were about to pass through the barrier.

''What?''

Jennifer asked as she turned her head to look at him, leaning into the seat for more comfort. Just as she asked this, static filled the air inside the cabin as the radio ceased to play the music and she looked at it curiously.

Dasli chuckled as he followed the road, turning the wheel as it curved slightly around a rather large rock. Being the expert he is on the subject concerning the special energy, he could tell her a number of things about it, from the reason it was named as such to the things that he didn't think EHDI was ready to swallow yet.

''The Zero well-spring emits various spectrums of energy into the atmosphere as the side-effect of it's constant changing but never becoming something other than Zero in reality. One of them are ionized particles, others would be positive and negative discharges of magnetic power into those particles.'' He told her as they made another turn and slowed down, having reached the tunnel entrance that will lead them to the top. He had to slow down as the sensors scanned his vehicles, himself and her and searched for a specific signature of his pass-card.

Jennifer looked in curiosity as a green, laser-like light sweeped through them and scanned them along with the car and a number of other things, before the Lieutenant continued with his explanation.

''Long story short, the various processes create an invisible pocket, a bubble of energy. It has, as you can see adverse effects on the weather above the mountain and doesn't allow the plants to grow up here. It also doesn't let any form of outside energy or spectrum value bar Sol's sunlight to enter this bubble and pass through the barrier. So no radios or outside immergances of any kind. Why did you think we use quantum communication''

Jennifer made an 'O' face, meaning the she had understood the jist of it and that everything else flew over her head. ''Is that so?''

Dasli chuckled at her attempt to impress. In turn she looked away with reddened cheeks as he hit the gas and his truck vanished behind a half-meter thick wall of titanium doors.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'_I am such a sucker for that look'_ Our one and only, blonde haired, whisker cheeked, chakra-less ninja thought gloomily as he sat on a bench in the park, his eyes always glued to the small blonde in his care.

He had done the one thing he never should, and looked into her Kicked Puppy face. This was an S rank kinjutsu, no way around that. It made the Puppy eyes look like a D-rank firecracker.

In short, it was the one thing that could always defeat him. Thankfully, it didn't seem that Sara knew to do it consciously, or he would never be able to say no to her. Some ninja he is, brought down by those eyes.

He could fight the Byakugan, the Sharingan and even the Rinnegan with little difficulty, even before he lost his original eyes, but he couldn't fight that face and those eyes.

Pitiful...


End file.
